A Tale in the Caverns- A Cave Story Novelization
by MetroidMan101
Summary: The familiar story of a young man who wakes up in a cave with no memory and must discover the truth about himself, but now with more focus given to certain other characters. With new interpretations and perspectives offered, this narrative will hopefully provide a fresh enough read for those who already know the plot. (An adaptation of Cave Story, contains Quote X Curly)
1. Awakening

_**A Tale in the Caverns**_

 **An adaptation of** ** _Cave Story_** **by Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya**

 **Author's Note: What's this? Another novelization of this game? Well, yes. But like my Undertale adaptation, I'm hoping I can bring enough of a spin on the story to keep things interesting. Here's hoping that works for me.**

 **Before we begin, I should give credit where it's due. The cover image for this story was made by yours truly, while the sprites were obtained from the Spriter's Resource. They were ripped by Random Talking Bush from Cave Story , a game that I highly recommend if you haven't played it.**

 **With all that out of the way, let's begin!**

Chapter One: Awakening

 _From somewhere, a transmission…_

"Somewhere" was the only good way to put it. The room was covered entirely with sheets of nondescript metal, with no windows and only a single door that didn't even open. No proper ventilation system seemed present either- in fact, the only reason the room's sole occupant hadn't suffocated in the time he'd been there was that a small crack in the wall allowed fresh air in. Considering the vault-like chamber's lack of food or water, that wasn't much comfort to him anyway.

Kazuma Sakamoto had been stuck in there for at least a whole day and a half, growing increasingly more frustrated with his predicament. He was miserably hungry, he hadn't been able to drink anything, and though he couldn't tell for sure he had a hunch that he smelled less than pleasant to say the least. His only solace was in the computer sitting on a desk in the middle of the room. It had plenty of power to work with as well as a fairly strong connection to the wireless network he'd set up with his peers. Using both of those to his advantage, Kazuma was desperately attempting to contact someone for help. One hand frantically rattled away at the keyboard while the other rustled through his short, dark green hair just to keep himself busy.

 _ **Connecting to network…**_

 _ **Logged on.**_

 _ **Starting IM chat.**_

 _"Sue? Are you there? It's me, Kazuma! I managed to escape without being noticed (at least I think I did), but I got lost along the way. Now I'm in some kind of shelter with nothing in it…"_

That was partially a lie. There was one other thing besides the computer in the room with him: a large device consisting of two metallic cylinders with an opening glass tube connecting them and a control panel along the side. A teleporter. However, Kazuma couldn't rely on it- even if the thing was working properly, it would only bring him somewhere he had no desire to return to.

 _"Been in here for… I don't know, two days now? If you're reading this, please respond. Please?"_

* * *

 _Elsewhere…_

The air was still within the cavern. Not a single trace of movement could be detected, as if time had simply frozen without warning. There were no native creatures to be found, no drips of water falling from the cave's ceiling, nothing at all. It could easily have been written off as completely uninteresting were it not for the crumpled figure laying face-down on the floor. He was sprawled in a rather awkward position with his legs half curled inward and his arms bent and sticking out at odd angles. It wasn't comfortable, understandably.

Wait, how did he know that?

It took him a moment to realize that he was awake. Nothing appeared to have jolted him out of his slumber, and there was no sign of anyone else around. Consciousness had come surprisingly without fanfare to the mysterious individual, and for at least another minute he continued to just lay there in the dirt and rocks, processing everything up to that point.

Unfortunately, "everything" didn't consist of much. In fact, it consisted of nothing at all; he couldn't remember a thing about what had happened to him, where he was, or even who he was. The young man struggled with all his willpower to call back some kind of memory, but was met with disappointment once again. For all intents and purposes, it was as if he'd just appeared out of thin air.

Eventually he came to the conclusion that continuing to lay there on the floor wouldn't help much in the whole "figuring out who he was" business, and moved to climb to his feet. That was where he noticed a second problem: absolutely every part of his body felt unbearably stiff, and considering the sheer amount of dirt he was caked with he suspected he'd been unconscious in that spot for a VERY long time. With each attempt to move, his underused joints struggled and emitted what sounded worryingly like popping sounds. Although none of it caused him physical pain, he could feel his body resisting him every second that he tried to suddenly call it back into action.

Several minutes of awkward shuffling later, he'd somehow managed to pull himself up into a sitting position and cleared off some of the dirt covering him. The young man took the time to inspect his unfamiliar body while he tried to get the feeling back in his legs. He was wearing a black sleeveless shirt with bright red pants, at the bottom of which a sturdy pair of black boots could be seen. A soft green scarf was around his neck, tied in such a way to look more like a bandana. His arms- the only parts of his body he could currently see- were a stark white and felt oddly squishy but at the same time hid something hard underneath. Was that normal?

He noticed a small pond in the rocks nearby and dragged himself over to it, still unable to stand properly. A face just as pure white as his hands looked back at him from the reflection, with messy black hair and blue-gray eyes. Speaking of eyes, there were odd grooves running from them straight down to his chin, almost dividing his face into three sections. Placed where his ears should have been were a pair of strange-looking green receptors, with short antennae extending upwards.

Curiosity thus fulfilled, the young man stood up and turned to look for an exit. Three things immediately came to mind. One: despite being so stiff before that he could barely move, his legs had now permitted him to stand up without even feeling forced. He almost hadn't noticed given his heavy focus on trying to comprehend who or what he was. Two: there was an exit to that particular room of the cave just behind him. Three: a hat was sitting on the ground not far from where he'd been laying. It was also covered in dust, but he could see that it was just as red as his pants. Picking it up, he saw a rectangular silver imprint on the front of it with a single word written on it in neat handwriting.

"Quote."

Was this hat his? Was that his name? He supposed it was a start at least, and decided to take this first bit of information along with him. Sadly, seeing the word did nothing to further improve his lost memory. The young man- Quote- dusted off the cap and put it on his head. He was now a rather unsightly combination of colors, not that he knew it.

Double-checking to make sure there was nothing else of interest in that small cave, he proceeded to walk out through the exit he'd seen. All it led to, though, was a tunnel extending in two directions. One way forward was blocked by collapsed rocks too heavy for him to move, the other seemed to stretch down further into the dark cavern. Quote sighed and turned to begin trudging down the corridor. His quest to discover who he was had officially begun.


	2. The First Steps

Chapter 2: The First Steps

Kazuma still had made no progress in attempting to contact Sue, and was beginning to feel extremely nervous. Every time he commanded his computer to try and find her, the same reply of "No users found" would show up again to taunt him.

"Ugh, come ON!" he shouted at it, as if that would help much. Still nothing.

Leaning back in his chair, he put a hand over his eyes and groaned. He didn't want to think about what could happen if he remained trapped in that room with no supplies for too long (though the thought had crossed his mind at least once already). Even as a grown man he was beginning to feel like a lost and helpless child, stuck in that metallic "time-out" chamber for the foreseeable future.

Suddenly, a quiet beep came from the computer. His eyes snapped open as he stared at the screen in hope.

 ** _"One user 'Sue' found."_**

"YES! FINALLY!"

Kazuma began typing so fast and with such ferocity that it was a wonder he didn't completely break the keyboard in his excitement.

 _"Sue! Do you read me? Please respond! They're looking for you, and probably me too. Are you okay? …Sue? Are you asleep or something? Your brother is so lonely in here…"_

* * *

Quote stifled a gasp as his foot hit a snag in the rocks and sent him tumbling forward. He painfully crashed onto the floor, silently cursing himself for not paying attention. Getting back up and checking himself for injuries, he noticed that the skin on his forearms was rather badly scratched from the landing. Stinging sensation aside, however, it wasn't too bad. Keeping his eyes peeled, he continued to trek through the cave.

A very unpleasant smell hit his nose soon enough, which he quickly attributed to the fact that the floor was littered with bat droppings. The creatures themselves, apparently sleeping on the ceiling, took no notice of the young man as he walked by. Quote decided to be grateful for not attracting unwanted attention from them.

He still had no idea who he was or why he'd been laying in there for what felt like months, and the more he walked the more questions he thought of. What was this place? Had he been captured by someone and tucked away so nobody could ever find him? If so, what had he been doing beforehand? It must have been something important if that were the case. How long was he unconscious for, and why did he suddenly wake up now? And just how long did this cave go on for anyway?

The last question at least was answered after another two minutes of walking. Quote found himself at a dead end, staring down an enormous chunk of the wall carved into the crude shape of a tiger's head. Its lifeless stone eyes peered out over the cavern, and as he walked closer he could make out even more details on it. A nose, ears, and small whiskers were visible on the carved rock. How he knew what a tiger was when he didn't even know who he was frustrated Quote more than just a little, and recognizing all the accuracies on this thing didn't make it any better.

He looked into the tiger's gaping mouth. It was more than large enough to fit his whole body inside, although the sharp teeth made him feel apprehensive about getting too close. On the other hand, Quote peered further in and saw something that raised his spirits tremendously: light! Maybe it was a way out! Briefly forgetting about his unease, he stepped between the carved stone teeth and ran through the exit, finally breaking free of that cave and arriving at…

…another cave. A considerably smaller one, at that. The light he'd seen came from a gently flickering torch fixed to the wall, and the dim glow mirrored his confidence by then. Not to say it was completely devoid of features, though. A wooden table in the center attracted his eyes, as did the object sitting on it.

He needed to get closer to inspect it, but the thing was unmistakably a gun. A pistol, to be exact, colored metallic blue with a wooden grip. A small white star was visible on its barrel, and the name "Polar Star" was etched into the side of the gun. Its holster was right beside it on the table. Quote couldn't see any spare bullets on the table, or even a place to load them into the weapon if there had been. Out of curiosity, he pointed it at the wall of the tiger cave and pulled the trigger.

Whatever he'd been expecting, a white burst of light that loudly darted out of the barrel and impacted the rock wall before simply vanishing wasn't it. He looked closer at where the laser struck the cave to see his handiwork. To Quote's surprise, the Polar Star had left a considerable amount of cracks on the wall, and he wondered if he could use it to get past those rocks from earlier. Maybe a way out wasn't so impossible to find after all.

His brief sense of wonder all but dried up as a soft rumbling sound came from behind him. Quote whirled around and kept his new weapon pointed out to show he meant business (despite not really knowing the extent of his skill with a gun), but was met with a strange sight.

A wizened old man was sitting in the corner of the room, slumped over in a chair. Numerous tools were scattered around his feet haphazardly. His dark skin tone contrasted quite a bit with his frizzled gray hair and mustache, which gently swayed as the man snored.

Quote did a double-take. The old hermit (who he presumed owned Polar Star) had actually slept through his noisy arrival and the sound of the gunshot. How he didn't notice his sudden visitor was confusing, but that was far from the young man's mind. If anything, he was excited to finally meet another person. Maybe this man could help him learn who he was.

"Uh… hello?"

He paused at the sound of his own voice. It just occurred to Quote that he hadn't said a word ever since he'd woken up earlier, thanks to being the only person around. Now that he wasn't alone, though, he could better appreciate the moderately-pitched sound coming from his mouth. He also noticed how hollow his voice was, like it was echoing off something in his body. Was that supposed to happen?

No reply from the old hermit. Quote tried again to wake him up, speaking a bit louder. He clapped his hands in front of his face, shook him by the shoulders, and even tried tickling him, but it seemed the man was determined to stay asleep. Sighing, he gave up his attempts.

 _"Well, now what?"_

He wasn't sure how he felt about stealing the Polar Star, but Quote knew that he had to get past the rockfall from earlier somehow. If he stayed asleep, the man wouldn't notice he was gone for some time, anyway. Perhaps he could just clear the path then return the gun (as well as apologize, if necessary).

With that thought in mind, he took both the gun and its holster and ran back through the caves in a fraction of the time it had taken to get that far. Quote didn't go unnoticed on his return, however. The bats which had been asleep before were now awake and clearly interested in sampling the pale-skinned person in their midst. They swooped down at him from multiple angles, forcing him to narrowly weave his way between them to get past unscathed. At some point, he remembered that he was armed and began firing the Polar Star to ward them off. Several bats dropped dead from the shots, causing the others to flee. He wondered how strong this gun really was.

Upon arriving at the rockfall from earlier, Quote tried to find a way of breaking it that wouldn't cause the whole thing to come crashing down on him. He eventually decided to work from top to bottom, firing off several shots that smashed apart the boulders with little difficulty. Within a minute, the path forward was free of obstructions.

* * *

"Come on, Sue!" Kazuma groaned aloud. It had been almost twenty minutes since he established communications, and there was still no reply.

 _"Type something, will you? I'm starving over here. Heck, I got so hungry I even ate a cockroach…"_

He snickered to himself at the thought of his sister getting disgusted over that. The bugs were his only company, occasionally wandering in through that crack in the wall.

 _"LOL just kidding! But… if it comes down to it, I really will eat one."_

He was terribly hungry.

* * *

Quote was elated to see that just a bit further beyond the former blockade was a door, colored dark gray with a brass doorknob. He wanted to turn back and return the Polar Star to its owner, but his curiosity to see what was past that point got the better of him. Surely there would be something to help him learn who he was. With a confident stride, he pushed the door open and stepped forward, ready to see what the world had to offer.

His expression blanked as his foot didn't meet solid ground, and Quote opened his mouth in a silent cry as he plummeted down the large hole in the floor.


	3. Mimiga

Chapter 3: Mimigas

Quote's rapid descent only lasted a few seconds, but that didn't help him much when he landed with a violent thud in a patch of soft dirt. He supposed he should be grateful for surviving, but this day was already not turning out much in his favor. Fortunately, he didn't seem to have been seriously injured in the fall.

Brushing some dirt off his clothes, he sat up and looked around. He was in yet another cave, apparently, but this one wasn't quite like the former. Here, things somehow felt more calming. The rocks around him were mostly colored a light tan in contrast to the dark and gloomy tunnels he'd just been through, and there were even patches of grass to add more color to it. Maybe it was just the more vibrant appearance, but somehow Quote felt like this cavern was easier to see in than the other one.

The Polar Star had landed somewhere to the right of him, half-buried in the dirt. Digging it out, Quote looked back up from where he'd fallen in dismay. The hole was visible even from that far down, but there was no way he could jump or climb up to it. It seemed he wouldn't be able to return the gun to that old hermit after all.

 _"…who knows, though? Maybe it'll come in handy."_

He stood up and continued surveying his surroundings. His eyes practically lit up at the sight of buildings nearby. Short buildings, made of carved and weathered bricks, but buildings nonetheless. At last, a sign of habitation! Maybe now he could start finding some answers.

As Quote began to wade through a particularly tall patch of grass- taller than him, even- he realized that he could hear voices coming from nearby. One was that of a young female, the other of an adolescent male. Perhaps against his better judgement, he decided to listen in on the conversation from his hiding spot in the shrubbery.

"Give me the key!" the boy demanded, clearly impatient.

"No! I'm not giving it away!" came the stubborn-sounding girl's reply.

A restrained sigh could be heard.

"Are you doing this to protect Sue? Toroko, you know she isn't one of us."

"She's a good person! I won't let you put her in danger!"

Quote wondered what the fuss was about. It sounded serious based on the mutual aggravation in the two voices. The male, as if trying to be more reasonable, softened his tone somewhat.

"Toroko… you know that someone is going to be taken away the next time the Doctor comes by. If we don't give Sue up to him, he could take you or me instead. Don't you understand?"

"But… but…"

"Just give me the key!"

Although he'd attempted to be inconspicuous as he walked through the grass, a bad step caused Quote to stumble forwards until he broke free of it and into the open. Luckily he didn't fall over this time. As he tried to reorient himself, he realized that the two people speaking were mere yards away from him, and it was clear they'd figured out they weren't alone. One of them had let out a shriek at his sudden appearance and ran off toward the buildings, accidentally knocking over the other in the process. Whoever it was had moved too quickly for Quote to get a good look at.

"Urgh… damn it, Toroko…"

The other person he'd heard talking, who was apparently the male, got to his feet and looked around for her. When she was nowhere to be seen, he turned to face the newcomer again, narrowing his light pink eyes suspiciously. Under his purple robes, his paw-like fists could be seen tightly clenching

"You! Who are you?! If you're with the Doctor, you'd better not take Toroko away! Take Sue instead!"

Quote stared down at the strange growling creature. He couldn't tell if the white-furred being looked more like a dog or a rabbit due to his snout and long, floppy ears (he also couldn't tell how he knew what a dog and a rabbit were, but that seemed less important at the moment). He stood on his hind legs at a height of about four feet, compared to Quote's five and a half, but the size difference didn't seem to intimidate him. If anything, he only looked more aggressively at the unexpected visitor. A jagged scar on his snout added to the fierce look.

"What?" Quote replied at last, processing the creature's behavior. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm, uh, kind of lost. What is this place?"

The small being almost looked like he wanted to roll his eyes. Given his frustration moments earlier, that was understandable.

"Guess you're not with them… this is Mimiga Village. I'm King, the number-one Mimiga around here. Not that it means a whole lot; there's only six of us left. Seven counting Sue, but I don't count her… how about you, stranger? Where did you even come from?" The explanation was spoken quite snidely; King didn't seem to take very well to his sudden arrival.

Mentally registering the name of his species, he pointed toward the ceiling of the cave.

"My name's Quote. I fell from a tunnel system up there. A little while ago, I woke up with no memory and now I'm trying to figure out who I am."

A somewhat vaguely-worded answer, even if it was true. Regardless, King seemed to have tuned him out anyway and was now walking off in search of the other person he'd been talking with.

"I have to go find Toroko. Stay out of trouble, got it?"

Quote, having heard both Mimiga mention someone named Sue, decided to go looking for her. She sounded important if they would speak so urgently about her, and it wasn't like he had any other leads to go on regarding his identity. Holstering the Polar Star, he set off through the village.

King obviously wasn't joking when he said there were hardly any Mimiga left; the place was practically deserted. While the initial descent left Quote with a more upbeat vibe, seeing the abandoned homes and empty streets was rather depressing for him. On exactly two occasions did he catch a glimpse of other inhabitants, but neither seemed particularly interested in speaking and carried about their business. The village was cold and lonely, and he could see that in the worried expressions worn by the two Mimiga he passed.

It also didn't help that he'd gained even more questions in the short time he'd been there. Who and where was Sue? Could she help him uncover his identity? Who was this Doctor that King mentioned? What happened to the other Mimiga?

Quote had a sinking feeling that this was just the prelude to something much bigger than he could have anticipated.


	4. Pursuit of Answers

Chapter 4: Pursuit of Answers

With the search for the truth officially underway, Quote found himself at a bit of a loss on what to do. He needed to find this Sue person, but she could have been anywhere in the village. Perhaps one of the other Mimiga knew… if he could meet one who didn't flatly ignore him, that is. The young man decided to begin his inspection of the town with a visit to a branching cave labeled "reservoir" by a sign outside.

In the confusion of his arrival, he hadn't noticed what exactly the village smelled like. As he walked through it, however, there was no way not to notice the apparent scent of Mimiga fur: sweet and almost floral, but to a degree that Quote found too strong for his liking. Even if there were only seven in the village, they certainly made their presence known in one regard. He picked up the pace toward the reservoir, hoping to at least distance himself from the smell for a short time.

The village's appropriately-named water supply, fortunately, did offer a small reprieve from the floral scent. Quote breathed deeply and enjoyed the (marginally) better one: cool, wet rock surfaces like he'd been surrounded by earlier. At least it wasn't causing tickling his nose… he thought so, anyway. Part of him wondered if he'd just been imagining that sensation earlier, and another part wondered why he was distracting himself with thoughts on smells when he had more important things to be doing.

Snapping himself back to the present, Quote proceeded forth across a small bridge extending over the water. His attention was immediately grabbed by a single Mimiga who was seated at the edge of the bridge, dressed in a dark purple shirt and holding a fishing rod in his paws. How he could hold it without thumbs was a question that Quote decided to not ask himself; he had to focus on finding Sue.

The Mimiga turned his head at the sound of footsteps and looked up at his visitor. An odd expression came over him- clearly he had been taken aback by the young man's unusual appearance- but he didn't look suspicious at all. After a moment's staring, he just returned his attention to fishing.

"Hey there, stranger. How's it going?" he idly commented.

Quote didn't really know how to respond. Up to that point he'd only spoken with one person since his awakening, and that one person had been on edge and frustrated. Casual conversation wasn't something he fully grasped.

"…"

"You're not with the Doctor, are you? I mean, you look kinda like a human but I've never seen one like you before."

His eyes widened slightly. Whoever this Mimiga was, he didn't mind talking. This was where he could start making some progress. Quote mentally registered "human" but, strangely, didn't have any sort of reaction to it.

"Not much for words?"

"Hm? Uh, sorry. No, I'm not with the Doctor. I just arrived in this village, actually. Do you know anybody named Sue? I'm looking for her."

The Mimiga nodded slowly, not looking away from the water.

"Yeah, she's that cute girl who's staying in Arthur's house. We found her washed up here in the reservoir about a month ago. She doesn't come out much… I don't think she likes the other Mimiga. If you want to see her, try looking there. Arthur had the biggest house in the village, so it should be easy to notice."

Quote took all of that in eagerly. Even if he didn't know much more about himself, this was still making headway.

"What about the Doctor? I've heard his name a few times. What's he like?"

"Sorry, man, I don't know much specifically about him. All I know is that he showed up one day and declared himself our leader. He's a tall human with a sort of gaunt face and some blue helmet or whatever on his head. Since he first arrived, every now and then he'd send a henchman to take one of us away."

"Alright. Thanks for the help, I have to go find Sue.

The Mimiga turned his head to look at him with a grin.

"No problem. Good luck with whatever you're up to, stranger."

As Quote was leaving the reservoir, he almost bumped into another resident on the way out. She- though he wasn't familiar with the Mimiga species, somehow he could tell it was a she- had evidently been spying on him, and once he approached she bolted out the exit before he could say a word. Shrugging his shoulders, he left in pursuit.

The girl was standing right outside, being scolded by King. Quote was able to put two and two together, determining that this was the second Mimiga he'd heard earlier. What was her name again?

"I'm only saying it one more time, Toroko. Give me the key!"

Oh, right.

"NO!" she cried, charging right at King. Catching him off guard, she was able to knock past him and sprint back toward the village.

He regained his balance with an annoyed growl. Rather than chase after her, he rounded on Quote, who had just stood there watching the exchange silently.

"It's your fault I lost her in the first place, you know! If you hadn't popped up out of nowhere I could've convinced her to hand over the key to Arthur's house!"

When no reply came (due to the young man not having much of an idea on how to respond), King just rolled his eyes and left the scene to continue looking for her.

Quote wasn't entirely sure what was going on- he could only recall bits and pieces of the conversation he'd overheard earlier- but he decided that if he was going to find Sue, he would have to get the key to where she was staying back from Toroko. Hoping that this wild goose chase wouldn't continue for much longer, he began the search to find her.


	5. Toroko

Chapter 5: Toroko's Plight

 **Author's Note: This chapter is a bit short, but to make up for that the next one will be posted in just a few days. A brief warning: this story may not be updated as quickly as my Undertale novelization.**

Quote soon came across what he suspected was the source of the sweet smell permeating the air. Not far from the reservoir, another Mimiga was tending to a large flower patch. He approached curiously, wondering why the farm (as that section was labeled) only grew one thing.

"Excuse me? Have you seen someone named Toroko?"

The farmer turned to look at him. Like the other Mimiga he'd met, he was taken aback by Quote's height and noticeably shifted his gaze upwards.

"I think I heard her running past here a minute ago… she can't have gotten too far. Why do you need to know?"

"I'm helping King look for her," he said simply. Not exactly a lie, but he rather wanted to get to her first so he could ask Sue some questions before King had a chance to interfere.

Satisfied with that answer, the farmer went back to tinkering with a sprinkler system on the ground.

"Cross through here if you wanna find her. Just don't step on any flowers; we need those for food."

He paused as he was about to leave.

"You eat these flowers?"

"Sure do. Fish too on occasion, but these sustain us better. We just have to be careful not to eat any red flowers."

Looking back over the patch, Quote couldn't see so much as a single red petal among all the yellow and white.

"Eat one of those, and our blood pressure supposedly goes through the roof. After a minute we keel over dead. So… if you happen to find any red flowers, keep 'em away from us."

Quote nodded in agreement and walked around the flower patch. His eyes settled on a nearby shack. There wasn't any other building in the immediate vicinity, and that one looked like a suitable hiding spot. Maybe he would find Toroko there.

Briskly stepping up to the door, he cracked it open and peeked inside. There wasn't much to see in the desolate room. Broken metal sheets lay strewn across the floor, light from the village's torches shone in through a few holes in the decaying walls, and various boxes were stacked haphazardly throughout. It was clear that nobody had lived there for some time.

As Quote cautiously stepped inside, he shut the door behind him to close off a method of escape. If Toroko was in here, she would try to flee again, and he needed to talk to her. The issue now was finding-

"You jerk!" a small voice cried.

"What the- OW!"

He staggered and gripped at the back of his head as something hard collided with it. His vision blurry, he turned on the spot and reached for the Polar Star to defend himself, but paused upon seeing his attacker. It was Toroko herself, a petite Mimiga wearing a green sweater and brandishing a large stick. Despite having just struck Quote from behind, the terrified look on her face showed that she wasn't much of a fighter.

"L-leave us alone!" she yelled, running at him again. Before he could react, however, she had stumbled on the messy floor and fallen onto her face.

"Help me, help me, help me…" Toroko whimpered, curling up into a ball with her head down.

Still rubbing the back of his head, Quote kneeled beside her and did his best to be comforting.

"Hey, calm down. I'm not here to hurt you."

The frightened girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"H-huh? You aren't with the Doctor?"

Truthfully, _he_ didn't even know the answer to that question. He'd woken up alone in a cave with no memory, and he'd denied any involvement when speaking to that fishing Mimiga, but for all he knew he could have once been this enigmatic Doctor's right-hand man. Still, there was only one answer he could give that would help in this situation.

"No, I'm not."

"Oh… I'm sorry for hitting you. It's just… t-the Doctor's such a mean guy. He pops in whenever he wants and kidnaps one of us. Sometimes he'll just kill Mimiga outright if they resist him. Like… like my brother… Arthur…"

She wiped her eyes and stood back up, not even half as tall as Quote. How she'd managed to hit him on the head with that short stick was admittedly impressive.

"I'm looking for Sue. What can you tell me about her?"

"She's my friend. When we found her, she didn't get along with the other Mimiga very well… I'm the only one who was nice to her. King gets all bent out of shape whenever he sees us getting along, though. Now he wants to- wait, who are you anyway? What do you want with Sue?"

Before he had a chance to say anything in response, an enormous bang struck the metal door to the shack. Toroko let out a frightened squeak and backed away as a second bang was heard. Apprehensive, Quote drew the Polar Star from its holster. He hadn't even locked the door behind him, so whoever was trying to get in really wanted to do so. The entrance finally gave as the door and a good chunk of the surrounding wall were blown apart by something bursting into the room.


	6. Hostile Encounter

Chapter 6: Hostile Encounter

Frantically waving to clear the sudden dust cloud from his face, Quote tried to get a better understanding of what was going on. Toroko, cowering behind him, gave a few short coughs to clear her lungs. That caught his attention, namely because for some reason he felt no need to do so. He had bigger issues at hand, though, and gripped the Polar Star.

"Huzzah!"

The loud, cheerful yell came from whatever had just burst through the door. Admittedly it was an unexpected sound, but that didn't make Quote drop his guard. He finally cleared up his vision and took aim with the gun at… at…

Seeing the intruder baffled him to no end, as he struggled to comprehend what exactly he was looking at. The large, box-shaped thing was colored a dull gray save for two vertical brown stripes on its front and its short triangular arms (which seemed to extend from slits in its main body), with round feet supporting it. A pair of eyes, each roughly the size of Quote's face, peered at him with an unreadable expression while the thing's mouth was tightly closed. Its overall appearance looked like someone had attached stumpy arms and legs to a suitcase. Was it a machine of some kind? Whatever the case, it was a good head and shoulders taller than Quote and three times as wide.

"Ahaha!" the unexplainable creature laughed in a booming voice. "I've found you at last!"

His gaze was on Toroko, still nervously hiding behind Quote. The thing's mouth widened in an almost comical smile, revealing a dark hole inside him that offered no further clarity as to what he was.

"Did you think you could hide? Oh, absolutely not! I've got the nose of a bloodhound, you see!"

Before he could process that- not helped by this thing's apparent lack of a nose- he was cut off again.

"That is correct," another voice came from nowhere in particular. It was a woman of unclear age, but to Quote's confusion there was nobody else around.

At least, not until the speaker seemed to pop into existence without warning between him and the large intruder. It was indeed a woman; dark-blue haired, about his height, and looking almost human but with something about her suggesting otherwise. She slowly descended from her point levitating in the air until her feet touched down. Her deep red eyes locked onto Quote and Toroko, with an unpleasant sneer crossing her pale face. She clutched a wooden staff in her slender arms, while the rest of her body was covered by dark green robes.

"You surprise me more and more, Balrog. I didn't know you had the nose _and_ the brain of a dog."

"Misery!" the box-shaped thing said aloud, to Quote's confusion. Was that really this woman's name? "I found her first, hands off!"

She didn't respond to Balrog, just staring at Toroko. The young Mimiga shrieked in fright.

"Y-you two… you're with the Doctor!"

"We are," Misery affirmed. "And he has called for you, Sue. Come along."

She aimed one end of her staff at the girl and muttered an incantation. Immediately after, Toroko was enveloped in some kind of bubble, floating high in the air.

"Huh?! W-wait, I'm not Sue! I'm-"

Her words fell on deaf ears as Misery vanished into thin air just as quickly as she'd appeared, bringing her along. Before leaving, she had said one last thing to Balrog.

"The rest is up to you. Don't take too long to report back."

With her and Toroko gone, Quote (who barely had any time to process what was even happening) turned his attention to the suitcase-looking being. He let out a massive groan.

"Not again! Why am I always getting stuck with cleanup duty? I found her first after all!"

Balrog returned the stare after a few seconds. His face was completely devoid of expression as the two sized each other up.

"Uh… hey you," Quote said, suddenly realizing that Toroko could be in danger, "You'd better bring her back, or else."

The larger being just laughed.

"Oh? Or else what? You gonna take me on with that little pea shooter there?"

While he didn't feel confident about this in the slightest, he knew that he had to at least do something. Quote may not have had any particular connection to the Mimigas, but right now they were the closest things to allies he had.

"Yeah, I am. Tell your friend to bring her back, or… or she's in for a beating too."

He hoped that he sounded more intimidating than he felt, but Balrog's smirk suggested otherwise.

"Is that right? Well then, if you want a fight you've got one!"

Quote had no idea what he'd expected, but the giant creature rushing straight at him faster than his size suggested wasn't it. He just barely managed to sidestep Balrog's charge, firing the Polar Star at his back several times. The shots left noticeable singe marks on his metallic exterior, causing him to growl and try again. Once more, Quote dodged around him and took the chance to shoot him from behind. When his opponent readied for another attack, however, he realized that the much larger being had him in a corner.

"Ha! Got you now, punk!"

There was no room to move aside as he barreled forth. In an act of desperation, Quote tried to jump before he was flattened against the wall.

"Huh?!" the two combatants said in unison.

Not only had the jump been sufficient to avoid the charge, it had also cleared Balrog by a noticeable distance, with Quote landing on the other side of him unharmed. Neither had expected a ten-foot leap into the air.

 _"Wow… have I always been capable of this?"_

Seizing the opportunity, he fired off more shots into Balrog's back until he let out a frustrated growl from the harsh sting of the gun.

"I'll remember this!" he shouted, springing through the roof of the shack with an even larger leap than Quote's. There was no way to tell where he'd gone; after his destructive exit Balrog appeared to vanish like Misery had. Sighing, the now-lone occupant of the room holstered his gun and tried to collect his thoughts. More questions than ever filled his amnesiac mind, and he was starting to get tired of not making progress in learning who he was.

Quote happened to notice something sitting on the floor nearby. It was a key labeled "Arthur," inconspicuous in design. He recalled King mentioning that Toroko had the only means of entering the house Sue was holed up in. She must have dropped it after hitting him on the head before Balrog arrived.

His heart sank at the prospect of telling King that his fellow Mimiga had just been kidnapped after a misunderstanding. However, there was also some hope. He could finally meet Sue and perhaps learn a thing or two about himself. Rescuing Toroko was also on his mind, but there wasn't any obvious way to do that at the moment. Clutching the key in his fist, Quote set out toward Arthur's house.


	7. The Egg Corridor

Chapter 7: The Egg Corridor

Quote resisted the urge to angrily break something when, upon unlocking the door to Arthur's house, he discovered that Sue was nowhere to be seen. The place didn't look deserted; short stacks of paper sitting on a computer desk were visible and clearly had only been put there recently. A pair of beds were freshly made nearby as well, and what looked like a blackboard displayed various diagrams and mathematical formulas which he could barely understand. Toroko didn't strike Quote as the kind of person to be interested in all those complex topics, suggesting that her housemate was behind them instead.

The computer was on and currently opened to some sort of messaging system. Sue had been talking to someone named Kazuma recently, but a quick skim through their conversation did little to inform Quote on where she'd gone to. In fact, she hadn't appeared to respond to his increasingly-desperate cries for help in some time. Fortunately, a blinking notification at the bottom of the screen was more helpful.'

 _ **"Access to Egg Corridor granted. Please step into the teleporter."**_

He looked away from the computer screen at the only other thing in the room he could conceivably step into. It was a large glass tube of some kind with one side open to allow entry. Quote was admittedly unsure about standing in the middle of such a conspicuous device, but he also didn't feel like just staying there and waiting for Sue to return. Mustering up his courage, he stepped inside and pushed a button marked "Go" before squeezing his eyes shut.

Despite all his fear, he barely felt anything from the teleport. After a slight humming sound was heard, he opened his eyes to find that he had arrived at a wholly separate area. The Egg Corridor was appropriately named; humongous eggs several times larger than his entire body were kept in insulation chambers lining the walls. The very wide path between them led straight down the corridor while also allowing bypasses to get a view of the chambers themselves.

As impressive as the sight was, however, Quote had to focus. He kept his eyes peeled every step of the way for any sign of movement that could be Sue, any sign of white fur or its (still unpleasant to him) smell. The corridor was almost completely silent save for his own footsteps. At least, it was until…

"Magnificent, are they not?" a croaking voice said aloud. He spun on his heels to see who it was, only to be met with a sight he hadn't expected.

The speaker was clearly not Sue, or even a Mimiga. He was a humanoid creature standing a few inches taller than Quote but with a noticeable hunch in his shoulders. Just about all of the stranger's body was shrouded by a deep green cloak and hood, with only the lower part of his face visible. Reptilian-looking orange skin and a grin showing off sharp teeth gave him an unsettling appearance to say the least. He was staring at one of the giant eggs, but turned to face his visitor with a raspy sigh.

"That look on your face… you do not know what these are? They are dragon eggs, placed here for incubation many years ago. The one who carried this out is… no longer present."

Quote didn't think he liked the creepy drawl and hiss this person's voice had. Before he could try to leave, however, the hooded creature continued to speak.

"Are you here looking for that Mimiga girl? I saw her up ahead somewhere… though what she is doing, I cannot say."

Vague, but helpful nonetheless. Quote was willing to accept any information that came his way, even if it was from a suspicious-looking lizard man. He could not have prepared himself for what he was about to hear, though. As he turned to continue moving, the man made another comment.

"Curious to see you here… I had thought the war was over."

He stopped dead in his tracks, slowly turning to face the hooded creature with a bewildered expression.

"…what did you just say?"

"I know your kind. You are a soldier from the surface world, no? In my life I have seen many more like you… where are your companions? What are you doing here by yourself?"

The comments he was making hit Quote like a ton of bricks, as he went from knowing nothing about himself to suddenly having his first real thread to grasp onto. He reflected on the idea of a "surface world" in wonder. Were the caves he'd been roaming through for the last few hours under that? And he had said "companions," too! There were others like him somewhere! Eager to learn more, he opened his mouth to reply… and remembered that he still knew very little.

"I… I don't remember anything up until recently. What else can you tell me?"

"Memory issues? Heh heh… interesting… sadly, I have no further information for you. I know nothing of the war from beyond what I have said already. If I find anything at all, though… I shall do my best to fill you in."

Promises of help aside, he couldn't ignore the extremely creepy vibe this person was giving off. Quote nodded silently.

"Excellent… I am called Cthulhu. Perhaps we will meet again in the future."

He didn't have time to decide if he liked the sound of that or not before a brief scuffle could be heard further ahead. Putting one hand on the holstered Polar Star, he tried to listen carefully. A young woman's voice came from a spot nearby.

"You don't scare me! Do your worst, not even my brother's ever beaten me before!"

Cthulhu let out another harsh chuckle.

"Sounds like your missing Mimiga has run into danger… hurry along, soldier."

The hooded man linked away into the shadows, leaving Quote by himself. He broke into a run toward the sound of the female when a loud roar could also be heard. Something was going on over there, and he suspected that things would get ugly fast.

That thought turned out to be more literal than he'd anticipated. Behind the nearest egg incubator, a Mimiga wearing a long blue sweater received a heavy punch from something that made him freeze on the spot.

"What… is that…?"

He was staring down something a good two feet taller than him- taller than Balrog, even- with a look on its face that could only be described as bloodthirsty. The monster's pure red eyes and almost smiling jaws (full of unnervingly sharp teeth) indicated that it had practically no higher intelligence and operated on the most violent of basic instincts. Its hideous face attracted so much attention that it took Quote a moment to realize something about the white-furred beast: it looked like a grossly oversized Mimiga, complete with a large pair of floppy ears. A ripped pair of green shorts and a matching necktie which was clearly too tight for it by a wide margin indicated that this thing hadn't always been so large.

"GRRRRR…"

"O-ouch! I'm sorry!" the female Mimiga laying at its feet whimpered. She looked up in a daze and noticed Quote standing there uncertainly. The punch had obviously done a number on her, as she passed out within seconds. Snarling, her attacker scooped her up into its arms and stomped further down the Egg Corridor.

It took another moment for Quote to snap out of the alarmed trance he'd fallen into, and he tore off running after the monster with his Polar Star drawn. He found it difficult to keep up, as his comparatively short and thin legs couldn't match the pace of his target. Nonetheless, his sheer determination to meet Sue and discover the truth about himself carried him onward.

As he ran, he couldn't help but ponder what Cthulhu had said to him. A soldier from the surface… had he fought in a war? It was definitely possible. He couldn't remember anything before awaking in that lonely cave, after all. Heck, Quote didn't even know how old he was. Maybe he'd fought in several wars.

His introspection was broken as he finally caught up with the fleeing monster. It unceremoniously tossed Sue (he assumed the captive Mimiga was her) into a large structure at the end of the corridor before turning to face its new opponent.

"MASTER'S EGGS… WON'T LET YOU TOUCH MASTER'S EGGS!"

The enraged beast stomped the ground once before lunging to attack. Quote opened fire with Polar Star in a panic, scoring several hits but not slowing it down at all. He relied on the same tactic as he had with Balrog, nimbly sidestepping the creature as it got too close. However, this time it didn't work as well. The beast skidded to a stop and whirled around where it stood, striking him on the side of the head with its paw. He felt his whole body come off the ground, only to crash back into it a good ten feet away. No serious damage had been sustained, but this thing's formidable strength would have to be more carefully avoided.

Quote didn't let the immense pain in his left shoulder deter him. He got up off the floor and continued to shoot in the hopes of putting down his opponent. The beast lunged again, only missing him by inches this time. He backed away from it and looked for a better position- that is, one further away where hopefully it wouldn't be able to hit him again. No such luck, unfortunately.

The thought had occurred to him at least once that Polar Star might not have infinite ammunition. It hadn't shown any signs of running out yet, but he didn't want to risk having that happen in the middle of a fight. He needed a way to end this quickly. Quote studied the monster's body carefully, trying to find a viable weak spot. Its thick white fur and muscle structure (reminding him of its uncanny resemblance to an oversized Mimiga) had done an impressive job of keeping the thing safe from damage so far, and he couldn't see anywhere on it that might be a good target.

As if answering his problem for him, the beast opened its mouth in a wide roar and charged again. Quote reacted instantly, taking careful aim with Polar Star before rapidly pulling the trigger in quick succession. Multiple energy blasts down its throat did the trick; it had literally stopped dead in its tracks. He couldn't be sure, but he suspected that his shots had thoroughly destroyed its windpipe. The beast was dead before it landed face-first on the ground.

He cautiously walked towards it, keeping his gun ready in case it was only faking. Luckily for him, that wasn't the case. Its corpse had ceased all movement… that is, until it began to rapidly shrink. Quote just watched in horror as its enlarged body scaled itself down to the size of an average Mimiga. In fact, now that it was smaller, he could see that it was a Mimiga. The disheveled pants and tie now fit perfectly around his body, and there was no mistaking that sickly sweet smell of his fur. He remained in that spot for at least another minute, just staring at the innocent-looking creature and wondering what could have happened to mutate him so gruesomely.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Wow, I've been gone for a long time! Sorry for the absence, but I'm getting back to work on this story now. Thanks for your patience, readers!**


	8. Sue Sakamoto

Chapter 8: Sue Sakamoto

After spending enough time observing the dead Mimiga, Quote finally wrenched his eyes away from him and walked toward the building it had thrown Sue into. Things were suddenly dead silent in the Egg Corridor, which gave him an enormous sense of discomfort. He just hoped he could get the answers he so badly needed before anything else happened.

The unconscious girl was crumpled on the floor just beyond the room's entrance. Various monitors displayed the vital signs on each dragon egg in its incubator, and while flashing red warnings on two of them indicated that something was wrong with those respective eggs, the others seemed to be in good condition. A door at the end of the long hallway was wide open, as if asking to be inspected.

Quote knelt beside the fallen Mimiga and gave her the gentlest poke he could manage on her side. That was evidently still too rough, as she jumped to her feet with her small paws in fists.

"Rrrgh! Alright, this time I'll really get you! Come here, you ugly- huh?"

Her angered threats died down immediately upon seeing that it wasn't the feral beast next to her. She looked him in the eyes with a confused expression, though she had to slightly crane her neck to do so. Even when kneeling, he was still taller than her.

"Who are you? Did you save me from that thing?"

He silently nodded at her, the thought of killing a Mimiga still fresh on his mind. To his surprise, she didn't seem grateful at all. Quite the opposite in fact.

"That wasn't any of your business! I can take care of myself, got it?! I'd have beaten him on my own if… if… ugh, I hate this stupid island and everything on it!"

He recalled the fishing Mimiga saying that she wasn't fond of others, and now he could tell that was true. Regardless, he'd come all this way to meet her and wasn't about to give up.

"You're Sue, right? I'm Quote. I'm a…"

His mind came up short when searching for a way to finish that sentence. What was he exactly? The hooded person calling himself Cthulhu had said he was a "soldier from the surface," but didn't specify anything other than that.

"…I came here to find you," he eventually said. "I was hoping-"

She had already stopped listening to him by the time he'd said his name and was now making her way toward that mysterious door at the end of the room. Suppressing the urge to growl in annoyance, he walked after her.

As Quote followed Sue, however, he noticed something else in the room with all the computer monitors. A small bed was tucked into a corner haphazardly, with the name "Igor" on a sign posted to it. Upon closer inspection, dozens of tattered red flower petals were strewn on top of and around it. The sight made his heart sink when he remembered the gardener in Mimiga Village explaining that red flowers could kill their species if consumed. Inwardly, he wondered if Igor was that mutant he'd just fought, and if those flowers had something to do with his transformation.

"Ah, perfect!" Sue cheered from the next room over.

Shaking aside those thoughts, Quote finally caught up with her and saw what she'd been so excited about. Another huge dragon egg with "No. 00" printed on its shell was hooked up to a series of wires, possibly life support. Sue was inspecting its computer terminal with a wide grin on her short snout.

"Condition normal! That's what I like to hear. Let's hatch this sucker- what? A password? Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!"

She sighed in exasperation and turned her head to look at Quote, who was standing in the doorway feeling a little lost on what he should be doing.

"What's with the confused puppy look? Don't you realize what this is?"

"A dragon egg?"

"Yep! And it's my ticket off the island… if I could hatch it that is. Ugh, if my big brother were here he'd know what to do… what'd you say your name was? Quote?"

He nodded again, seeing her grow less tense and frustrated.

"Not that much of a talker, huh? Well, like you said, I'm Sue. Sue Sakamoto. What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you. A few hours ago, I woke up with no memory, and… well, you sounded like someone important based on what they were saying-"

"Whoa whoa whoa, what who was saying?"

Quote awkwardly rubbed his arm.

"King, and Toroko, and the other Mimigas… I guess I figured you'd be a good start if I wanted to learn who I was."

Her scowl returned.

"They've been talking about me, have they? Those jerks… most of them, I should say. Toroko's the only nice one out of them all. Well, sorry Quote, but I can't say I know anything about you. Maybe my brother, or my mom, or Professor Booster…"

"Wait a minute! Toroko- she was kidnapped before! Some people named Balrog and Misery came and took her, thinking she was you!"

Sue's eyes widened in shock.

"What?! Oh god, that's awful! We have to…"

Just as quickly as her outburst had started, it faded away.

"No… I have no idea how we'll be able to help her. She's with the Doctor now, and he's the cruelest person imaginable. Fighting him's impossible, that's why all we can hope to do is escape this island on a flying dragon."

"Yeah, about that. Why do you need to fly away? Can't you just build a boat or something?"

She gave him an odd look.

"You really are clueless, huh? We aren't surrounded by water- we're in the _sky_. Seven miles up, to be exact."

That news hit him like a ton of bricks. While he'd initially assumed that he was merely deep below the surface world that Cthulhu had mentioned, suddenly the hooded man's message took on an entirely different meaning. If his skin was any less pale he would have likely blanched at the thought of the rocky caves being the only things between him and a seven-mile drop to his death.

Sue rolled her eyes at his stunned expression.

"Hey… if you saved me from that monster, maybe you're not actually so bad. Wanna come with us when we get outta here?"

Truthfully he had no idea what he should do next. She'd mentioned knowing other people who could potentially help him, so he supposed that was a start. But leaving behind the Mimigas to suffer at the hands of this "Doctor" didn't sit right with him for some reason. Sue seemed to notice his hesitation.

"Well, I guess you still have some time to figure out what you want. For now, I could probably use your help in meeting up with my family. Can you come with me back to Mimiga Village? I need to contact my brother as soon as possible."

Quote silently nodded for the third time, and Sue flashed him a grin.

"Awesome. We're gonna escape this place in no time."


	9. The True Adventure Begins

Chapter 9: The True Adventure Begins

Returning to the Egg Corridor's teleporter was an uneventful trip- the two didn't even run into Cthulhu again- but by that point Quote was happy to have a quieter moment. He himself was a man of few words, whereas Sue just didn't seem to be in much of a talking mood. Not that he didn't try at least to ask more about what she knew, of course. Her apparent familiarity with "the Doctor" had caught his attention, but she had responded to his questioning by snapping that she didn't want to speak about him.

Sue had entered the teleporter first, explaining that it had a cooldown time of about four minutes between uses. As attempting to both use it at the same time was far too risky, Quote opted to use it after her. When his turn to teleport to Arthur's house finally arrived, though, he found himself wondering if it would have been better for him to go first instead.

His new companion was nowhere to be seen, and a knocked-over desk and the wide open door indicated that a struggle had just occurred. Sue's computer still displayed her messages; this time she'd managed to respond.

 _Sue: "Kazuma! Are you there?"_

 _Kazuma: "Sue? Is it really you?"_

 _Sue: "Your one and only sis, yes. You were able to escape too, then? Where are you right now? Is Mom with you? I found the dragon eggs, btw"_

 _Kazuma: "I'm trapped in some shelter-looking room with a locked door, and I can't get out. So far, I've only been able to determine the general coordinates of where I am. Teleport to 'Bushlands' from your end. No, Mom isn't with me either. I'm afraid she might still be with the Doctor. Are any of those eggs ready to hatch yet?"_

 _Sue: "One is, but it's password-protected :( "_

 _Kazuma: "Shoot. Well, let's focus on getting me out of this room first and then we can worry about that."_

 _Sue: "Gotcha. Looks like there's one functional teleporter on the edge of the Bushlands. I'm on my way to help you."_

 ** _Sue has disconnected_**

 _Kazuma: "Roger that! Oh yeah, can you bring some food with you while you're at it?"_

 _Kazuma: "Oh…"_

Quote mentally registered the information they'd shared. Somehow, he didn't feel bad at all about snooping on their private messages.

 _"So, where's Sue right now?"_

There was no way she could have used the teleporter already; he'd just arrived in it. The door being ajar made him suspicious, and he rushed outside to see what had happened.

Standing directly in front of Arthur's house as if on guard was one of the Mimigas who had ignored him earlier. He wore a brown cap and a dark green sweater with surprisingly thick glasses on his face, and his posture displayed confidence but also some degree of relaxation.

"Oh hey, it's you again," he said upon noticing Quote. "Sue returned a few minutes ago, and we locked her up in the center of the village."

"What? Why?"

"The plan is to offer her up to the Doctor's goons in exchange for Toroko. You should've seen King's reaction upon realizing that she went missing… oh man, it was scary. I feel kinda bad for Sue, but Toroko's one of us. We don't need somebody who only thinks of herself around here. I'm Jack, by the way, the number-two Mimiga around here."

Quote gave a short nod and briskly walked past him toward the village square. Sure enough, a small cage had been placed there with Sue inside it. She waved him down as he approached, an irritated look on her face. Standing nearby was King, who glared back at her.

"Hey there… well, I've been caught. Seems like someone around here overheard Misery kidnapping Toroko under the impression that she was me, and now I'm being held responsible for it. I don't suppose you could bust me outta here with that gun of yours?"

Before he could even process a reply to that, King was brandishing a silver-bladed sword at him with a threatening look in his eyes.

"Don't even think about it."

Quote held up his hands defensively to show that he wasn't intending on trying anything. Sue muttered something foul under her breath before looking back at him.

"I know! My brother, Kazuma, needs help somewhere. Can you take the teleporter to where he is and free him? It should be done calculating the destination by now."

He wasn't thrilled to be Sue's errand boy, but with no other real companions he decided that helping her escape sounded like the best course of action at the moment. King's suspicious glare was still fixated on him.

"Alright, I'll bring him back here."

"Great. Meanwhile, I'll try to convince these guys to see the error of their ways."

Along the way back to Arthur's house, he passed by Jack again. The number-two Mimiga was holding something in his paws: a lime-green object that looked like a plastic gun. He pushed it into Quote's hands as they crossed paths.

"Found this thing in one of the desks in there. It just shoots bubbles when you pull the trigger, and we don't really need that for anything. I'm sure if Toroko were here she'd find it funny, but… look, just take it."

Jack didn't say another word or wait for a reply, simply walking deeper into the village. Bemused, Quote stared down at the "weapon" he'd been given. A name printed on the side identified it as Bubbline. Like the Polar Star, it had no discernible source of ammunition, instead just spontaneously a small bubble from its tip whenever he pulled the trigger. He noticed that holding it down longer seemed to increase the velocity of the bubbles and caused them to pop with greater force. Shrugging, he stuffed the Bubbline into a pocket of his pants in case he ever needed it again.

As Sue had promised, the teleporter in Arthur's house was already online and ready to send him to the Bushlands. Quote stepped inside and pressed the start button, this time keeping his eyes open to see just what the process looked like. He felt like he should have found the sudden flash of various swirling colors and brief sense of weightlessness nauseating, but strangely it had no effect on him at all.

After a few seconds, the teleportation came to an end. He set off into the Bushlands with a determined stride, ready to find Kazuma.


	10. Grassy Hike

Chapter 10: Grassy Hike

The Bushlands proved themselves to be disappointing in two ways. Firstly, despite being an area flourishing with significant vegetation and plant life, the region was still in a cave. Quote was wondering just how long he would be stuck underground for during his stay on the island- an island he still had to remind himself was actually floating in the sky by some mysterious force. Secondly, the scent of Mimiga fur had not diminished in the slightest. One of them was standing outside a house not far from the teleporter and waved at Quote as he passed by.

"Hiya, stranger! Haven't seen you around here before. My name's Santa."

For reasons he couldn't explain, that name almost made him smirk.

"I'm looking for someone locked in a shelter-like building. Do you know where that is?"

Santa cocked his head with a frown.

"Can't say I do. Chako lives just up the path from here, so maybe you can ask her. Watch out for the Critters along the way though, they'll try to squash you."

Nodding to show he understood, he continued to walk ahead. Quote decided to experiment more with the Bubbline weapon he'd just received, keeping his finger on the trigger for a good ten seconds. The bubble-shaped projectiles emitting from its barrel began to mill around him momentarily, then darted straight forward. He watched in surprise as they suddenly took on shapes not unlike lightning bolts, striking a nearby bush and tearing several holes in it.

 _"Guess this is more powerful than I'd assumed…"_

His attention being focused on the new weapon cost him, as from behind another bush something jumped out and slammed into Quote's back. He stumbled with an irritated growl, turning to face his sudden enemy. The teal-colored blob had a pair of beady black eyes that seemed to glare at him, and three small fangs were visible in its mouth. Evidently, this was one of the Critters that Santa had mentioned.

Pulling the trigger again, he dealt with the creature easily via another storm of bubbles. As ridiculous as the concept was, Quote couldn't deny that it was an effective gun- perhaps more so than Polar Star. The only downside was that Bubbline couldn't aim very well, instead just relying on the sheer number of projectiles to do the job.

The dead Critter disappeared in a puff of smoke, confusingly, but he didn't have time to think about that as another four of them had emerged to attack as well. He clenched his teeth in annoyance when they spread out around him. Without them being clustered together, the Bubbline wouldn't serve him well. He swapped it out for Polar Star and blasted away.

In taking the first one by surprise, he'd managed to underestimate just how quick the little blobs were. The Critter he focused his attacks on sprang over his shots with a mighty leap, intending to crush him like Santa had warned. Quote backed away enough for the thing to hit the ground right in front of him and gave it a firm kick, only to recoil with a hiss of pain. Their gelatinous-looking hides were much sturdier than they appeared, and his foot had practically bounced off its target.

The other three Critters advanced on him as well, all from different angles. He took the opportunity to shoot the one he'd just tried to kick while it was right in front of him, putting it down. Quote just barely avoided the attacks from the others, but in their eagerness to rush him they'd all gathered in one spot. Taking Bubbline out again, he eliminated all three of them in one swift stroke.

With the fight over, he took a moment to inspect himself for any injuries. The first Critter's ambush left a stinging feeling in his back but didn't appear to have broken anything. Other than that he was in perfect shape. In fact, he realized that he no longer sported wounds at all- not from Toroko hitting him on the head, not from the mutated Mimiga also hitting him on the head, and even his badly scratched forearms from earlier had completely healed while he hadn't been paying attention. It hadn't been long since he'd sustained any of those injuries; how had they managed to heal so quickly?

He decided to just keep looking for Kazuma under the assumption that he could answer that question later. Quote turned around to proceed further down the path and was met with the sight of an even larger Critter pouncing toward him.

"Oh, come _on_ …"

* * *

Ten minutes later, he arrived at another house in the grassy cavern. Between constant attacks from Critters and their larger blue variants, he felt like he should have cleared the distance in half that time. Regardless, he was here now, and he knocked on the door with a fatigued sigh.

When the homeowner answered the door, it wasn't immediately obvious that she was also a Mimiga. Her fur was a bright lavender in color with only a few patches of white, and the telltale strong floral scent was masked by some kind of perfume (which at least made her smell somewhat nicer in his opinion).

"Are you Chako? Santa told me to come looking for you. He said you might know about someone being trapped in a building around here."

She put a paw to her chin, thinking about it.

"Well… I haven't heard of anyone being trapped lately, unless you count Santa locking himself out of his own house for the third time this week. There is an abandoned town further ahead, though. Some buildings have tightly-shut doors that we've never been able to open. Whoever you're looking for could be in there."

Quote was beginning to notice a pattern with his progression- namely, that his goals were always one step ahead of him. As annoying as that realization was, there was no other option at the moment. He needed to find Kazuma and help Sue quickly. Bidding Chako a hasty "thank you," he broke into a run down the path.

Fortunately, the aforementioned town wasn't very far away. He made it there without further interference from Critters to begin his search. Right away, he could tell that it was indeed abandoned. With the exception of some enormous frog-looking creatures that aimlessly hopped around, the place showed no signs of life at all. Quote wandered between the dilapidated stone buildings with an enormous sense of unease, like he was being watched by some unseen force. He kept Polar Star and Bubbline holstered, but one of his hands hovered near them just in case something unfriendly showed up.

His search of the ruined settlement eventually led him to a very conspicuous-looking building. It wasn't made of stone bricks like the others, but rather sheets of slightly rusted metal coated the exterior. A large steel door was firmly shut in front of him, the words "Power Room- Keep Out" written on its front. There was a spot for a key card to be swiped next to it.

Deciding that this looked like an appropriate "shelter," as Kazuma had described it, Quote knocked on the door hard.

"Hello? Is someone in there?"

There wasn't any response. It could have been too thick to hear through easily, so he repeated the question louder. A reply came this time, but from a similar-looking building directly across the town's dirt road.

"Huh? Hey! Who's out there? Can you help me?"

He ran over to the smaller metal structure. The panicked male voice had come from a large crack in the wall to the left of the entrance, wide enough to fit one's hand through. Upon hearing his approaching footsteps, the man inside let out a delighted cheer.

"Sue! You there? Oh thank heavens, you came to save me!"

Quote wondered how he'd mistaken his voice for Sue's, as they sounded nothing alike, but that was hardly his first concern. He stepped closer to the crack, trying to see him inside the room.

"I'm not Sue, but she sent me in her place to rescue you."

"Huh? Then who are-"

Kazuma's face appeared on the other side of the crack in the wall, and his eyes widened slightly upon glimpsing Quote through it. The green-haired man was definitely not expecting to see a stark white youth who looked unlike any other human he'd ever encountered, judging by his expression. At least, that was what Quote interpreted it as.

"Why didn't Sue come herself? Is she in trouble?"

"A Mimiga was kidnapped by someone named Misery, thinking she was Sue. Now she's being held as a bartering tool to get her back."

Kazuma scowled on the other side of the wall.

"Misery… a witch in more ways than one. Well, help me get out of here and we can go save my sister."

Quote felt the urge to ask how a human could have a Mimiga for a sister, but his better judgement prevented him from doing so.

"I found a key card in this room. Can it open the door? Here, take it."

"I'll give it a try."

The trapped man passed him a card through the crack. He walked back to the door and swiped it in the appropriate scanner, but to no avail. Even if it had worked, though, the door was far too rusted to be openable.

"Doesn't look like this key goes to this door."

"Damn it… it has to go somewhere. Look around for the building it opens, there could be a way to blow this door apart instead."

Quote already had an idea on where to look. He ran back across the street to the Power Room and swiped the card. As he'd hoped, the door swung open to reveal an unlit chamber. Cautiously stepping inside, he tried to find a light switch. The only thing he could see in the darkness was a dim computer screen flashing a message at him.

"Power offline. Lights offline. Malco offline. Activate all? Y/N"

He affirmed the selection with the computer's keyboard, at which point fluorescent blue lights illuminated the room. Several large crates were revealed to be stacked against one wall, a fan system on the ceiling whirred to life, and for the first time Quote noticed the five other figures in there with him. They were evidently robots, colored light gray with very angular bodies and rectangle-shaped heads. All five were curled up near the door, their arms wrapped around their knees. He nearly jumped out of his skin when one of them emitted a loud, metallic screech and stood straight up. A pair of red "eyes" flickered on, and the lone robot (which was about his height) stared at him for a moment before reacting in what seemed to be panic.

 **"Intruder detected! Intruder detected! Must protect Team 9's equipment: commence destruction!"**


	11. Rematch

Chapter 11: Rematch

As the reactivated robot took a step toward Quote, he reached for Polar Star to defend himself. What this new enemy was capable of, he had no idea, but he wasn't going to take any chances.

 **"Destroy the intruder! Destroy! Destroy!"**

It barely started to close the distance between them when the door- which had locked upon its activation- sustained an enormous bang. The robot looked at it in alarm, apparently wondering what else was trying to break in. Quote suddenly realized what exactly that could be, throwing himself to the side just in time to avoid the door being blown off its hinges and flying across the room. It slammed into the hostile robot, sending it crumpling to the floor.

"Huzzah!" a familiar voice shouted.

 _"Him again? What's he doing here?"_

There was no mistaking the giant suitcase-looking thing (for he still couldn't tell what he was supposed to be) that stomped into the room. Balrog had returned, an unreadable expression on his wide face as he stared at Quote.

"I knew I saw you come in here! Hey, did YOU know that Mimiga we took wasn't Sue?"

He scowled in reply.

"Yeah, I did. And you'd better bring Toroko back."

Balrog either chose not to comment on his threat or simply wasn't paying attention.

"You should've seen the Doctor's reaction to finding that out. Misery got quite a good beating for it, yes sir. I feel kinda bad for her, but we can't disobey the master. That's just how it goes. Anyway, I'm here to take you out for real this time. Ready?"

Without another word, he sprang into the air and attempted to crush Quote underneath him. Balrog missed by mere inches as his target backpedalled, but he was much faster than he had been in their first battle. He delivered a heavy punch with one of his stubby arms that forced Quote to drop to his knees and clutch at his stomach.

"Ho ho! Not as tough now, are ya? Misery gave me a sweet boost in strength before I left, so there's no way I can lose!"

He was too busy gloating to notice his fallen enemy take aim at his underside with Polar Star. Balrog cried out in pain as shot after shot struck him at point-blank range and jumped backwards to avoid further damage. Quote didn't let up on his assault, continuing to blast him while also drawing Bubbline from his pocket. Holding down the trigger for it to improve its damage output, he focused the firepower of both guns on Balrog at the same time. The combined attacks were too much for him, and he was clearly worn down by it. He could barely summon the energy to throw another punch after being struck with a storm of bullets.

"What even are you?" the giant suitcase asked aloud. Quote wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of a response, but as it turned out he didn't have to.

"Someone far more competent than you are, obviously," a disembodied voice answered. In a brief flicker of light, the blue-haired witch Misery appeared between the two. An unamused snarl was present on her lips.

"Balrog, can't you do _anything_ right? First the girl, now this. I'd assumed that the power I'd given you was enough."

"Hey, it's not my fault! This guy might be even stronger than you are- whatever he is!"

Quote had one weapon trained on each of them, ready for anything. He noticed that Misery was giving him a strange look, as if she'd recognized something about him. As it turned out, that was exactly the case.

"I know you… you were with the girl in Mimiga Village. I didn't realize it at first, but there's no mistake about it. You're a soldier from the surface world, aren't you?"

Her red eyes narrowed.

"I have to report this to the Doctor. Balrog, finish things up here. I'll give you some of the most powerful enhancements I can manage, so you have no excuse to fail this time."

Misery chanted something in an incomprehensible language before vanishing. Her cohort, who was now glowing a sickly green color, let out a ferocious croaking sound. Quote took a step back as his foe was enveloped in a large green force field- on second thought, it was some strange lumpy mass- what was even happening?

Generating around Balrog was the shape of a gigantic white-bellied frog with bulging eyes. He was rapidly growing too large for the small room they shared, so Quote ran outside just before the monster came bursting through the wall. After a few more seconds, "Balfrog" had reached his maximum size: almost three times his original height. The soldier panicked and fired off several shots with both of his guns, but nothing penetrated the tough hide of his target.

"Crooaaaaaak!"

Balfrog took a tremendous leap and came crashing down not far from where Quote was standing. Violent tremors in the ground nearly caused him to fall over, and somewhere nearby an old stone building could be heard collapsing. Magical projection or not, this transformation had an insane amount of weight behind it. He had to be taken down quickly, before one of his leaps caused the locked building to fall apart and crush Kazuma inside.

Quote rolled to the side as an enormous webbed foot smashed into the ground. He did his best to analyze the amphibious beast for a weak spot like he had with that twisted Mimiga. Once again, it seemed likely that the inside of his mouth was the only part of him that wasn't completely bulletproof.

Attracting Balfrog's attention with another volley of ineffectual shots, he quickly backed away from him. If his transformation was as thorough as it looked, then surely it would include a long tongue. Quote waved Bubbline tauntingly, trying to provoke a reaction. He noticed that Balfrog was moving around rather clumsily, not used to the sudden change in his body. Fortune had smiled on the soldier after all.

The taunt had worked, and just as planned the large monster shot his tongue out to try and eat Quote. He took the opportunity to repeatedly blast Polar Star into Balfrog's mouth while it was open and narrowly avoided the sticky appendage before it got too close. His gunfire appeared quite effective, so much so that even despite an urge to cry out in anger the giant frog kept his mouth tightly shut to avoid further damage. He jumped again, this time swiping Quote with his foot during the descent. The soldier was sent careening through the air and landed with a heavy crash against a wall of the building Kazuma was in.

"Ugh…"

The force of the impact left him slumped on the ground and completely disoriented. It was a wonder that he hadn't broken anything at all, though every part of him was aching. He tried his best to stand, but his knees felt like they were about to give way at any second. As Balfrog advanced, Quote realized that he'd never be able to avoid the next attack after that collision.

 **"Magical threat detected! Destroy!"**

Catching both combatants by surprise, the blue-gray security robot which had been knocked out at the beginning of the fight had gotten back up and launched itself onto Balfrog's back. It repeatedly jabbed him with a short knife that, while not enough to seriously puncture his thick hide, did elicit a response. The mutant opened his mouth in an angered roar of a croak, raising a webbed foot to swipe the robot off. He hadn't noticed Quote retrieving Bubbline and preparing an attack in the struggle.

One well-timed release of the trigger later, dozens of energized bubble projectiles streaked into Balfrog's open mouth. The magical transformation, evidently sustaining too much damage, quickly evaporated until all that remained was the original suitcase-shaped Balrog. He had a look of pure contempt on his face but was also clearly in immense pain.

"Gah! T-this ain't over!"

With that, the Doctor's minion took a giant leap and crashed through the cave's ceiling in his usual manner of exit. Quote almost collapsed again in fatigue (not to mention the serious ache on every part of his body), but he was nonetheless satisfied that he'd won. Polar Star and Bubbline were serving him well.


	12. Malco

Chapter 12: Malco

"What's going on out there?" Kazuma called from inside the locked building. "Is the fight over? I couldn't see much of it."

Quote nodded feebly.

"Yeah, it's over… that was Balrog, Misery's partner. She turned him into a giant frog."

"They were BOTH here? You must really know how to handle yourself if you got out of that encounter alive. Uh, any progress on getting this door open?"

He still had to think of a solution for that issue. As he tried to reorient himself after the battle, his eyes settled on the robot. When Balfrog had knocked it off, it landed a short distance away from Quote and partially embedded in the dirt. Although it threatened him earlier for intruding, he felt that its contribution in the fight (even if it wasn't intentional) was at least deserving of a thank you.

Grasping the robot's legs, he pulled upwards on it until the whole thing was free from the ground. It whirred back online and looked at him with its red eyes. This time, however, no trace of malice was evident in its gaze. Quote wasn't entirely sure how he could tell that from a machine (which should not have been able to emote much at all), but he could nonetheless.

 **"T… thank you for saving me… you are a good person. And very strong, I might add!"**

Now that it wasn't squawking out threats of destruction, the robot's voice could be understood as high-pitched but distinctly male.

"Actually, I think you saved me during that battle toward the end. If you hadn't jumped in I might have been eaten."

 **"Is that so? Well then, it was very kind of you to return the favor…"**

His voice trailed off as he stared directly at Quote. Abruptly, his eyes widened once again.

 **"My apologies! Where has my formality programming gone? I didn't realize I was in the presence of a soldier!"**

The confused Quote held up his hands to calm him down.

"Relax, I'm not really with any armies right now… I think. Most of my memories are gone, and I don't remember anything past about six hours ago. From what I've heard, though, whatever war was going on has been over for a long time."

 **"That is troubling indeed. I was stationed here with Retrieval Team 9, but I eventually lost contact with them. I too can no longer recall our exact purpose on this island… does this make us 'friends,' sir?"**

Finding a strange kinship with this robot wasn't how he'd expected the meeting to go, but having more allies was an improvement on the situation in his eyes. Whether or not he would ultimately regret accepting the energetic robot's offer was something he could worry about later.

"Uh… sure. I'm Quote."

 **"A pleasure to meet you, Quote! I am Malco Unit 2, though you may simply call me Malco. Though I do not possess many combat-oriented skills, I have been programmed with upmost expertise in navigation and analysis. I'm sure I can lend you some assistance in… whatever your quest is! Now, what can I do for you?"**

He blinked in stunned silence. Malco came across as both pushy and eagerly generous, a bizarre combination which left Quote unsure of what to say. The robot never faltered in its stare as it anticipated a command/request.

"Hey, young man! What's taking so long?" the two heard Kazuma shouting.

 **"Is somebody in there?"**

As long as Malco was determined to help in some way, the soldier figured he could start with freeing Kazuma.

"Yeah, there's someone stuck inside that building. No key works for the door, and it's too rusted to open anyway. Do you know any other ways to get him out?"

The robot almost bounced excitedly.

 **"Ah, of course! I have just the solution, allow me to fetch it! Fear not, trapped individual, you shall be liberated in no time!"**

Malco darted off toward the Power Room (which now sported a gaping hole in the wall where Balfrog had burst out), making a noise that sounded suspiciously like cackling. With nothing else to occupy himself at the moment, Quote turned his attention to Kazuma behind the wall.

"What can you tell me about the Doctor? Sue's mentioned him a few times."

"Nothing good. He's like a demon… we think his plan right now is to mutate the island's Mimiga using these strange red flowers so he can launch an attack on the surface world. Can't say why, he's just insane."

His breath caught in his throat as he recalled the crazed Mimiga from the Egg Corridor. If he really had become like that by eating a flower, then the potential horrors of those plants became abundantly clear. That enemy had been a chore to deal with; an entire army of them sounded nothing short of nightmarish.

"From what I understand, the Doctor hasn't found the source of the red flowers yet. If we want to stop him we'll have to get there first and destroy them all."

Just as he was about to ask for more information, Malco returned carrying a large metal object.

 **"For you, kind sir! Use it to demolish that rusty old door! I would have made a bomb instead, but there was no time to gather materials. This will do nicely regardless."**

Quote stared blankly at the missile launcher being handed to him. On reflection, it had likely been stored in one of those crates in the Power Room. He took it from Malco's metal claws and rested one end of it on his shoulder, finding it much lighter than it looked. Even stranger, while he had no memory of ever wielding such a weapon, his mind seemed to already know how to.

 _"I could have used one of these back when I was a soldier… muscle memory, perhaps."_

Kneeling down, he took aim at the door of the locked building.

 **"Stand back!"** Malco cheerfully called. **"The door's coming down!"**

He locked onto his target and pulled the trigger. A gray blur rocketed out of the weapon and impacted the door with a massive explosion. Inwardly, he feared that the blast may have seriously injured Kazuma, but the sound of harsh coughing on the inside proved that he was alive and well.

 **"Perfect destruction has been confirmed! And with a mere 6.52% collateral damage to the overall structure, too!"**

Indeed, the building was still standing (although visibly shaken). Quote and Malco rushed inside once the smoke from the blast had cleared. Greeting them was the sight of Sue's brother, who was older than he'd sounded upon closer inspection. He had to be in his mid-twenties, at least.

"Could've given me a bit more of a warning… who are you, anyway?"

The robot loudly answered before he had a chance to say anything.

 **"Greetings, human male! I am called Malco, and my friend here is Quote. I'm so happy to see you safe and sound!"**

Kazuma's puzzled expression showed that he hadn't expected an introduction on such a personal level.

"Right… anyway, thanks for saving me. Starving to death in that room would have been better than having to work for the Doctor, but not by a whole lot. Can you lead me back to Mimiga Village? We have to save-"

He was abruptly cut off by the sound of his teleporter (which, despite only going back and forth between an especially dangerous location, he'd assumed was broken anyway) whirring to life. All three of them stared in surprise as another human emerged from the light vortex and stepped forward. He was rather short in stature, about Quote's height, and looked to be in his sixties. Both men wore white lab coats, but the newcomer's showed signs of far more wear. His red-lensed eyeglasses, short white mohawk (easily his most peculiar trait), and very pale skin gave him the appearance of a miniature ghost.

"Professor Booster," Kazuma said aloud, "you made it out!"

"Indeed I did," he replied in a gruff voice. "How's Sue? Is she safe?"

Kazuma's face fell in dismay.

"Sort of… she's being kept in Mimiga Village to try and barter with the Doctor. He took one of them away, and the remaining residents are hoping to get their friend back by offering Sue up instead. This young man came in her place to help me escape, along with his… uh… robot companion."

Quote had been silent the entire time, unsure of how to contribute to the discussion. He heard the two men briefly talk about the Doctor and one or two other people he wasn't familiar with, doing his best to follow their conversation. Malco, on the other hand, didn't appear to be paying attention at all and was quietly humming to himself.

"I'm afraid our problems have just begun," Professor Booster said after being fully caught up. "The Doctor has discovered the whereabouts of the red flowers, and he's gathering the Mimiga for mutation when he obtains them."

A chilling silence fell over the room. Quote understood why; he'd seen firsthand what a Mimiga was like after being exposed to red flowers.

 **"The war…"** Malco muttered at his side, breaking the tension at last. For the first time since he'd introduced himself, he actually looked rather downcast. He didn't elaborate on his thoughts.

Professor Booster turned his attention to the other two people in the room at last. His eyes focused particularly on Quote, and he stepped closer to get a better look. A look of surprised recognition passed over the old researcher's face as he stared at him.

Kazuma cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Professor? Do you know this person?"

"…no… we've never met. At any rate, we should hurry back to the village. Time is short, and Sue could be in danger along with the other Mimiga. We're the only ones who can stop the Doctor now."


	13. Identity

Chapter 13: Identity

Professor Booster had insisted to a rather forceful degree that Quote should accompany him and Kazuma back to Mimiga Village. He'd complied, having nowhere else to really go at that point, but he wasn't sure why he was so important. Could it have just been for protection from the Critters lining the path? That was the only explanation he had at the moment.

As they were leaving, Malco stopped short of the abandoned town's gate.

 **"I'm afraid I cannot go any further with you. I must remain here to defend Team 9's supplies, should they return for them. In the meantime I'll scan my memory banks to find out what our purpose here was in the first place. You may keep the missile launcher, by the way. I have plenty of spares."**

Quote gave him a short nod in understanding.

"I get it. You still have a job to do. Thanks for-"

 **"However!"** he blared, cutting him off. **"Your recollection is in far worse condition than mine, and I wish to assist you. From here on, I shall remain in contact with you to provide advice whenever necessary."**

"…what?"

 **"My memory banks include detailed combat tactics and a great deal of information regarding navigation. I'm certain that I can help you on your journey. Here, allow me to establish a wireless connection now!"**

Malco had spoken too quickly for Quote to reply or even fully understand what he meant. After a few seconds, the green devices fixed to both sides of his head emitted a loud beep.

 **"Signal established. Now, confirm the link!"**

"Confirm what-"

 **"Connection successful! Now I will see and hear all that you do via your sensory receptors!"**

He was about to ask what the excitable robot was talking about, but an irritated beckoning from Professor Booster stopped him. Quote gave him one last glance before running off to lead the others out of the Bushlands.

The trek back took much longer with Kazuma and the Professor following him than it had when he was alone. Neither of the men were armed, and giving them the Polar Star and Bubbline to test out for themselves had yielded disastrous results. Their lack of proficiency with firearms resulted in Quote sporting an injured shoulder and Kazuma (who'd accidentally shot him) sheepishly proposing that only he handle the weapons from that point onward. As for the missile launcher, it remained where it was: hanging from a strap around the soldier's back.

 **"Seven Critters detected ahead,"** a familiar voice said out of nowhere. **"Take point and wipe them out!"**

Quote looked around in shock. Malco wasn't with them, yet he sounded like he was speaking from directly behind him. Kazuma and Professor Booster were giving him funny looks at his reaction, apparently unable to hear the robotic voice.

"Malco? Where are you?" he asked. The confused stares of his companions only intensified as he spoke to nobody they could see.

 **"I am still in the Power Room! Didn't you hear what I said? I can communicate with you over long distances now, as well as see everything you can!"**

"How are you doing that?"

He didn't have a chance to hear the robot's response, as the group had been set upon by a gang of seven Critters bouncing toward them. Despite Malco's surprise reveal (the thought of him effectively speaking in Quote's head had him both reassured that someone would look out for him and worried that he'd constantly talk), his information had been accurate.

The soldier sprang into action- literally, given his impressive jump height- and met the group head on. He blasted away at them with Polar Star, taking out three of them in mere seconds.

"One is sneaking around your right side to attack your companions. Get him!"

Turning to face the appropriate direction, he stopped the Critter in its tracks with another shot from the pistol. He dealt with the remaining three using Bubbline's scattered projectiles.

 **"No damage sustained! Well done, Quote. There's a large one approaching as well, perhaps you should use the missile launcher to take care of it."**

Indeed, another giant Critter had taken interest in the small party and was bounding forth to strike. He knelt down and slung the weapon off from around his shoulder. Taking aim quickly, Quote pulled the trigger just as the monster was drawing near. It was completely obliterated by the explosive projectile. He vividly recalled how long it had taken to deal with those on the way in, and conceded that Malco knew what he was talking about.

"…huh. Thanks for the advice"

 **"You are most welcome! The launcher is programmed to automatically reload based on…"**

Quote mentally tuned him out and looked back at Kazuma and Professor Booster. They were still a bit put off by him speaking apparently to himself, but nevertheless continued walking. He could hear them mumbling on the way.

"…certain you've never met… you seem familiar with…"

"I'll explain it when we get back."

The rest of the walk was fairly uneventful. No additional Critters jumped out at the group to attack them, and Balrog didn't come back for another rematch- thankfully, as Quote still sported an injured shoulder and back. Of course, the relative lack of events didn't stop Malco from cheerfully yapping into his head about anything that crossed the robot's mind. It must have been lonely for him back in Bushland town with none of the others online. Quote didn't blame him for wanting someone to talk to, even if he rarely said anything back to Malco.

His thoughts, instead, were more focused on the strange look Professor Booster had given him. There was no mistaking it; he knew something about Quote but had kept his mouth shut. Once they were safely back at Arthur's house, the soldier was determined to find out what it was.

"We've arrived at the teleporter," he said to them after another five minutes of walking. Behind him, the two men sounded utterly exhausted. That was a bit confusing to him; the Professor was quite old, but why wasn't Kazuma in better shape? He had mentioned being deprived of sustenance for some time, but Quote couldn't shake the feeling that he was different to them in more ways than one. His considerable jumping ability had surprised the two, further supporting that idea.

"Thank you for guiding us, young man," Professor Booster said shortly. "Come on, there's no time to lose. I'll go first."

He climbed into the device and warped away. As it was cooling down for the next use, Kazuma turned to look at the soldier with a smile.

"He's a little gruff, I know. You get used to it after enough time. Hey… what'd that robot say your name was again?"

"Quote. My name's Quote."

The man chuckled.

"Interesting name, but I like it. You can go next, the teleporter's cooling down now."

Nodding, he climbed in and was gone in a flash. The ride wasn't any longer than previously, and before he could even count to five he'd reappeared in Arthur's house.

"Quote! You're back!"

It was Sue's voice that greeted him upon his return. The Mimiga girl was standing not far from the teleporter, with King behind her. He seemed to have a perpetual scowl on his face, but he wasn't making any hostile movements toward Sue. Professor Booster was busily looking over the notes on the computer desk, mumbling to himself.

"What happened? Weren't you locked up?" Quote asked Sue.

"I managed to convince them that I'm on their side… really, any side other than the Doctor's."

King was looking around with an almost wistful look on his face.

"I don't remember the last time I was in here. It feels so different without Arthur around…"

"I've heard that name a few times," the soldier remarked. "He was Toroko's brother, right? What was he like?"

The number-one Mimiga clearly hadn't expected him to say much (given that up to that point he wasn't one to speak unless spoken to), but replied anyway. For the first time, King's voice wasn't dripping with irritation.

"He used to be the leader of this village, and a real hero. Arthur saved us all from a Mimiga-eating red ogre, which he drove back deep into the mountains. When the Doctor showed up he defended us as fiercely as he could, but it wasn't enough…"

The room fell silent as the group honored Arthur's memory. Even those who hadn't known him looked somber and worried about their shared enemy.

It was Sue who spoke up first after a moment.

"He's taken the lives of so many Mimiga… he's made this place miserable."

 **"The Doctor? Who is the Doctor?"** Malco asked inside Quote's head. Not wanting to talk to "himself" in front of the others, he didn't answer.

Behind him, the teleporter began emitting its telltale whirring sound as Kazuma arrived. He and Sue locked eyes, then rushed over to hug each other tightly. Seeing the two siblings reunited gave Quote a curious sense of satisfaction, even if he hadn't known them for long. They parted after a few seconds, and Sue beamed at the soldier.

"I guess I owe you another one now that you've saved me and my brother."

Quote offered a small grin in reply, only to be reminded of a particular question he'd had ever since he learned that one of the siblings was human, and the other was a Mimiga.

"I was glad to help. Actually… can I ask you something? If you two are brother and sister-"

"It was that witch Misery," Sue cut him off. "She turned me into this when the Doctor began taking interest in Mimigas as test subjects… ugh. Let me tell you, getting used to a new body isn't fun."

Transforming others was clearly a talent of hers; he'd just witnessed it firsthand.

"She must be dangerous if she's packing that much power."

"All the more reason to get off this island soon. With my brother and his computer smarts here, we'll be able to hatch that dragon egg in no time. Hey, Professor Booster! Can we bring Quote with us when we leave?"

Booster and Kazuma shared an uncomfortable look before the former replied.

"Sue, I'm afraid we'll have to put our escape on hold for the time being. The Doctor has discovered the location of the red flowers, and if we don't act quickly he'll get his hands on them."

King stomped a foot hard, drawing everyone's attention.

"What are we waiting for, then?! We have to destroy them now before he makes us eat them! Where are they kept?"

"I was getting to that. He's traced their whereabouts to a remote location called the Sand Zone. By now, it's likely that he's dispatched one of his minions to find them. There is another problem, though… that region of the island's caves is unimaginably dangerous. If the sheer temperature doesn't do us in, the hostile creatures will instead. The environment is far too unsafe for any of us to risk traveling there."

That only put King in a worse mood.

"So you're just going to give up?!"

"Any of us, that is, except for one person…"

Quote watched as Booster turned on the spot to face him. Somehow, he wasn't surprised.

"…you. Your name is Quote, right? Only you have what it takes to survive the conditions out there. I've seen you fight, and I think you're more than a match for it."

"What is he, anyway?" Kazuma interjected. "You told me he was a soldier from the surface below, but nothing more than that…"

The others in the room appeared to lean closer in anticipation of an answer. Quote too had been waiting to finally hear what Booster knew about him, and now was the moment of truth. Seeing so much interest in what he had to say, the Professor cleared his throat as if about to give a speech.

"He may look somewhat human, but he isn't by any means. He's one of the armed scout robots that was sent to this floating island nearly ten years ago, during the war. I was under the impression that they were all gone by now."

Kazuma, Sue, and King all had varying degrees of astonishment on their faces at the revelation, and even Quote himself was blown away at first. The more he thought about it, however, the more sense it made to him. He somehow knew how to use various weapons moments after picking them up as if such skills were implanted in his mind; he was far stronger and more physically durable than the humans he'd met (admittedly, only two of them); his wounds could repair themselves over time. In fact, the injuries he'd sustained during his time in the Bushlands had already sealed up, leaving his pure white "skin" looking as if it had never been harmed. Being a robot also explained why Malco was able to see and hear everything he did; they both had advanced computer systems that could wirelessly connect to one another instead of brains.

He felt elated to have finally figured out the answers to who and what he was, but still more questions remained. Why was he sent to the island ten years ago? If he was a soldier robot then surely there must have been others with him, so where were they? Was he part of "Retrieval Team 9" along with Malco? What had they been doing? And, above all, how did he wind up in that cave with no recollection of his life?

The look on Booster's face showed that he understood the confusion Quote was going through.

"Sue tells me you've lost your memories, so I'm sure this is a lot to take in. Listen… whatever you do now is up to you, but if it's not too much to ask could you please help us? Only you are capable of making it through the Sand Zone and back, and we can't fight the Doctor on our own. If he's not stopped, he'll ravage this island and the surface world. Would you be willing to lend us your aid?"

Quote surveyed the group for a moment, considering his choice. He was beholden only to himself now, and could easily have refused to take part in the conflict. Staying out of it may very well have been his best option for surviving, and if what they said about the Doctor was true then he was in for an uphill battle like no other. And yet… King, Sue, Kazuma, and Booster were all looking at him with hope in their eyes. After the suffering they'd reportedly endured at the hands of their shared nemesis, they were clearly hoping for a key to victory. True, he had no official loyalty or obligation to these people- he'd even rescued some of them from danger already- but the looks on their faces showed nothing but desperation. Could he really turn his back on them in their hour of need?

Well, the answer to that was obvious. Just as Kazuma announced from the computer desk that he'd calibrated the teleporter to travel to the Sand Zone, Quote gave his response.

"Understood. You can count on me to find these red flowers and destroy them."

Taking note of the grateful smiles they'd given him (except for King, anyway), he stepped inside the teleporter and was gone in a flash.


	14. The Second Soldier

Chapter 14: The Second Soldier

 **"So, you really didn't know you were a robot?"**

"Like I've said twice already: yes."

Quote's entry into the Sand Zone hadn't been a quiet one. Not that he himself was making much noise, but rather that from the moment he stepped into the teleporter Malco had begun chattering. He found the revelation about the soldier's identity unsurprising given that he too was mechanical, but couldn't believe that only he felt that way.

 **"No wonder you reacted with such surprise when I first began observing things through your eyes."**

"It never occurred to you to tell me why that happened?"

 **"Well, I was under the impression you knew already."**

Resisting the urge to reply with something foul, he continued to look around the area. As the name implied, there was sand as far as the eye could see. Loose, shifty sand that made it hard to walk without stumbling every few paces. The only other visible features of whatever crevice he'd teleported into were the cavern walls and ceiling, now looking even coarser and colored an odd green-brown.

"Would you happen to know where we can find these red flowers?"

 **"My databanks contain information on their properties, but their habitat is unknown. They do generate a rather strong magical energy field, which I could likely track down if one is close enough. I'll keep you informed on that… oh? Look up, I'm detecting an electrical presence right in front of you."**

Quote had been looking down at the ground for a moment, and when Malco mentioned that he wasn't alone his head snapped up to see what was there. Or, to his surprise, who.

Amid the haze created by the sandy corridor, it was difficult to clearly make out the details of this person, but he could see well enough to identify a distinctly female humanoid shape mere yards in front of him. The unknown person had long blonde hair hanging straight down to her lower back, with pure white skin (albeit somewhat dirty from all the sand) and blue eyes. She sported a pair of light green devices on the sides of her head, and even from this distance he could make out antennae sticking up from them both.

 _"She looks… like me!"_

The thought had barely crossed his mind for a second before the stranger gave him an odd look. Her eyes seemed to narrow suspiciously, then she turned around and walked away.

 **"Incredible! That young lady bears a striking resemblance to-"**

"I know she does. Who could she be, though?"

Considering how similar she and Quote looked, there had to be some kind of connection between them. Maybe. With so many questions lingering about his background, he was willing to reach for any opportunity to learn more. The red flowers were still on his mind, but he needed to catch up with her as well. She could have held the answers he so badly wanted.

 **"She may be another android like yourself. Go on! Chase her down and pry from her whatever secrets you desire!"**

Something about how Malco had worded that rubbed him the wrong way, so he chose not to think about it and just ran ahead. She was still visible at the end of the tunnel, where it appeared to open up into a much wider (but no less sandy) cave. With a single leap, she'd gone out of sight. It wasn't until Quote made it there himself that he could see where she had vanished to.

The aforementioned cave led straight up to a different area and was largely cylindrical in shape. Lining its walls were narrow ledges and small outcroppings, which the blonde runaway was scaling with relative ease. She jumped back and forth between each rock formation until she'd reached the top, at which point she continued to walk away from him.

 _"I can't fall too far behind..."_

Undaunted, Quote followed her lead. He put his considerable strength and jumping skills to the test on each ledge, climbing up the vertical cavern at an impressive speed. The woman's physical prowess being so similar to his only piqued his interest further. Just who and what was she?

It took him less than a minute to make it up to the higher tunnel (with some assistance from Malco on where to step or jump), and once he'd gotten to the top he weighed up his objectives.

Were there any red flowers nearby? No? Then it was back to seeking out the mysterious person.

 **"She hasn't had much of a head start. Keep going and you'll catch up in no time."**

Quote pursued her until she disappeared inside a small building tucked into the corner of the tunnel. From the sign sporting a wine glass outside, it looked to have once been a pub of some kind. Even more curious as to where she'd gone, he followed her inside.

The woman was standing amidst a group of four young Mimiga, each wearing soft green and yellow shirts. They turned to glare at him as he walked in, surprisingly. As for the person he'd been following, she was slower in her reaction and gave him a sort of half-smile. Without the sandy haze, he could finally see that she was wearing a tank top that was short enough to reveal her midriff, long pants, and sturdy boots (colored pink, maroon, and black respectively). Even her outfit was like his!

"Ah!" she said aloud in a high voice. "We have a visitor, everyone!"

Despite her ostensibly friendly words, the edge she put on "visitor" came across as unwelcoming. It definitely wasn't helped by the abrupt scowl she had on her face.

"I know why you're here. I know what you want to do. Think I'm gonna let you hurt these children, huh? Not a chance! Mimiga are totally harmless, so you'd better wake up and admit that they aren't your enemies…"

Quote was completely unprepared for this reaction. She hadn't bothered giving him a chance to explain himself or even say a word at all, instead opting to point a red and shiny object threateningly in his direction. His eyes widened upon seeing that it was a machine gun, and he tried to process what was happening. Even Malco had gone silent, apparently at a loss for words.

"…or I'm going to blast you to pieces! Everyone, get behind me. I'll keep you safe!"

The woman didn't wait for him to choose between the options she'd presented, instead just opening fire right away. Her rapid shots came out in a short burst that he dodged by less than an inch. Quote frowned at how quickly things had deteriorated. He wouldn't seriously injure her, but if she wanted a fight she was about to get one. Maybe then she'd be more reasonable.

He drew Polar Star from its holster and took careful aim as she lined up her sights for another volley. The Mimiga children were still clustered behind her, so using the Bubbline or missile launcher was out of the question if he wasn't going to harm them. Quote fired back at her, only to see his target duck out of the way with reflexes comparable to his own. They continued to trade shots again and again, neither managing to score a hit. Quote found himself getting distracted by the advice Malco had begun constantly yelling, and at several points the machine gun's energy bullets grazed past him and left a light sting on his artificial skin. He noticed that his opponent never fired more than a burst of six shots at once, with her gun never running out of ammo. Did it have a cooldown of some kind?

During one of the lulls in her attacks, Quote edged his way closer as she dodged his Polar Star shots. If he could just disarm her, then things would hopefully settle down. She stared daggers at him while her gun readied itself for another round.

To the apparent surprise of both combatants, the four young Mimiga rushed forward in defense of their "mother" and began clinging to Quote's arms and legs. They were too small and weak to hurt him on their own, but he noticed in dismay that his foe was about to take advantage of the distraction. He turned slightly so one of the children hanging onto his shoulder was blocking her line of sight. Predictably, she didn't dare pull the trigger out of fear of shooting the small creature.

 **"A shield tactic! What a clever idea! Use this chance to knock her gun away."**

Quote, finally shaking off the Mimiga when he was close enough, sprang forward and came face-to-face with the woman. Before she could open fire again, he drove his knee into her stomach to briefly disable her. A pained cough escaped her lips as she doubled over in shock and dropped her weapon. Shoving her to the floor, he pinned her down with one foot placed firmly just below her neck. The Mimiga watched in fright, too scared to try attacking again.

 **"Victory! A splendid fight, if I do say so myself!"**

"Yield," he said firmly, pointing Polar Star at her face. Obviously he had no intent to actually shoot her, but she had to surrender if they were to get anywhere. Her struggling quickly ceased, replaced by pained wheezes.

"Y-yield… I guess you're gonna wipe out the Mimiga now, just like us robots were built-"

"Will you let me speak for a second?!" he hissed, tired of her not allowing him to get a word in. "I'm not here to hurt any of you. All I wanted was to find out who you were, maybe get some answers about myself."

Quote took his foot off her chest and put Polar Star back in its holster to show he bore no ill will toward them. She hesitantly sat up and looked him in the eyes as if trying to get a better reading of him. Looking back, he noticed that hers were a much brighter shade of blue than his own. Also unlike his, they appeared to express a wide range of emotions.

"You mean you aren't against the Mimiga? That's right, they're not dangerous at all!"

She stood up and rubbed at her stomach where he'd struck her.

"Heh… I guess we got off on the wrong foot there. Let's try again. My name's Curly Brace. Just call me Curly, though. And you are?"

"Quote, a soldier from the surface. I woke up about eight hours ago with no recollection of my own life, and I've been piecing together my past since then."

Curly cracked a small grin.

"You lost your memory too, huh? Guess we're even less different than I thought. Of course, I've been online for three weeks now…"

"What happened to you?" he asked, intrigued as to how her experience had gone.

"I woke up near this building, half buried in the sand and unable to remember much. All I could tell was that I'm a robot and I was a soldier of some kind, but beyond that-"

Quote cut her off mid-sentence.

"Wait a minute, you knew you were a robot from the moment you woke up?"

She looked confused at his sudden question.

"Yeah. Why, did you not?"

 **"I told you, you should have been able to tell from the beginning."**

He considered himself lucky that she couldn't hear Malco speaking and just tried to move on.

"Never mind… you said this was three weeks ago?"

Curly gave one of the young Mimiga a gentle pat on the head as he nestled beside her and fell asleep.

"Uh huh. I found these children all alone without parents, hiding from someone called the Doctor. With nothing else to do, I sorta adopted them. They filled me in on why he's one to be avoided; something to do with fabled red flowers."

"But you also remember being a soldier?" Quote pressed, eager to hear more. If she was as like him as he thought, this could be another breakthrough.

"I don't recall a whole lot, just that it was a long time ago. According to these little ones, the robots that came to this island years ago were savage Mimiga killers… I was probably one too before losing my memory. I don't like thinking about that. Oh yeah, did you know we're on an island floating way up in the sky?"

Quote almost wanted to scream at just how short his end of the amnesia stick had been. Not only did he remember nothing at all about himself, he'd also woken up alone and in a dark system of caves that led to a somewhat lighter system of caves, had to trek all over three separate areas (Mimiga Village, Egg Corridor, and Bushlands), and had to deal with increasingly dangerous creatures as well as the occasional run-in with Balrog and Misery, just to start learning about himself and about what was going on. Meanwhile, Curly Brace woke up with an outline of her memories and already in close proximity to people who were willing to fill her in on the important details.

As intrigued as he was to meet another soldier robot, he began to wonder if fate simply had it out for him.


	15. Three Robots

Chapter 15: Three Robots

"Uh… Quote? You okay there? You're kind of spacing out right now."

His attention snapped back to the present, where Curly was looking at him with a confused expression.

"Hm? Sorry, I was just thinking about something. I'm here to find the red flowers and destroy them. Do you know where they are?"

The female robot gave him an apologetic look.

"I can't say I do. If they are around here, I'll be sure to keep 'em away from these children. Tell you what, though: further up the tunnel is a really old-looking house. A woman named Jenka lives there, and she claims to be a powerful witch. If anyone around here knows where to find these flowers, she's probably your best bet."

Quote was about to thank her for the advice and leave when he realized just how drained he felt. He'd spent so much time running back and forth across the various caverns and getting into fights that it had taken him a while to notice his own fatigue.

"Whoa, are you okay? You look dead tired, buddy. I think you should take a break to power down and recharge."

"I'm fine. If I take too long, the Doctor could get his hands on the flowers."

Despite what he'd said, he was clearly not fine. It took an enormous amount of effort just to remain standing, given how much work his legs had been through already.

 **"I must agree with Miss Brace,"** Malco chimed in unhelpfully. **"In your current condition you're not likely to succeed. Just power down for a half hour or so, and you'll be much better."**

He was about to protest again, but to his surprise Curly was already half-dragging him toward a door in the corner of the room. She all but threw him in with a cheerful smile and promised to leave him alone.

"Rest as long as you need to, got it? It's the least I can do after attacking you like that."

Quote, once again, couldn't get a word in before she closed the door behind her. He was in a small chamber with little more than a row of three worn beds lined up against the back wall. A dresser stood opposite them, covered in dirty clothes.

 **"She seems nice, doesn't she? Go ahead and shut down, I will be waiting for when you're ready to go."**

By that point, he was tired enough to not care so much about how his two fellow robots had essentially forced him to take a break. He climbed into one of the beds and laid his head back, promising himself that he'd make up for the lost time after waking up. Quote didn't know how exactly to "shut down," but it seemed to come to him after a minute or two. His inner systems adjusted to the resting position, and he felt the world go dark around him.

As he was drifting off, he vaguely thought that somehow, Curly Brace seemed familiar.

* * *

Satisfied to see his new ally resting, Malco allowed his own senses to return to normal. Up until then he'd been using one camera eye to see through Quote's vision while the other kept track of his surroundings in the Bushlands. The same could be said for his "ears," resulting in his internal systems being forced to monitor two areas at once. Even for a robot, it was rather overwhelming.

Unlike Quote, he wasn't tired at all. Having been offline for an uncertain amount of time before his activation, Malco was fully energized and ready to work. He set about tidying up the abandoned town, where Retrieval Team 9 had set up their base camp. Of course, if what Quote's ally Professor Booster had said was true, then the war had been over for a decade with the other robots from the team completely gone.

Malco didn't let that possibility discourage him from maintaining the supplies he'd been left in charge of. After all, he was still around. Quote and Curly, while different kinds of robots than him, were also present despite the long gap in time. Surely there was a chance of his companions still being alive and finding their way back to him! And when they arrived, he'd have more people to keep him company.

 _ **"Ten years… has it really been that long?"**_

His internal clock had malfunctioned during his dormancy, so all he had to go on was the word of Professor Booster. Malco busied himself with trying to repair the busted wall of the Power Room and taking inventory on what few weapons remained in the hopes of not feeling so lonely.

It didn't work. He let out a low beeping sound in dismay, suddenly anxious for Quote to wake up. While the much less talkative scout robot wasn't the best conversation partner (in fact, sometimes he gave the impression that he didn't like Malco's chattering), just having someone to speak with helped ease his sense of isolation. Activating the other four robots he'd been locked away with was out of the question due to a technical issue with the power generator. From what he could tell, fixing it would be a long process. For the time being, his only companion was the red-hatted soldier who wasn't even awake.

There was also Curly Brace, though… she seemed more conversational, if only he could contact her. He needed Quote's help for that, leaving him at another brief impasse.

As he set aside the metal sheet he had been attempting to weld back together, Malco reflected on his own background. Vague memories of being sealed away in the Power Room with his four identical brethren came to him. From what he understood, they were assigned to stand guard until Team 9's combat force returned. How long they'd waited before deactivating was beyond him, as well as where exactly said force had even gone. There had to be files containing this information somewhere in his systems... finding them could wait, though. Quote would be ready soon, and Malco was eager to continue helping him in his search for the red flowers.

* * *

"Okay, gang. Our guest is sleeping, so try not to make too much noise."

Curly watched with a satisfied grin as her four Mimiga children- the Colons, they called for themselves for reasons she couldn't exactly remember- nodded in understanding. They went back to playing with each other or eating whatever snacks they could find; food wasn't exactly plentiful in the Sand Zone. By herself for the time being, she sat down in an old wooden chair to think.

She'd never imagined that her first visitor since waking up there three weeks prior would be a robot almost exactly like her. Quote had the same pure white "skin," a similar outfit, comparable and even superior combat skills… everything down to the metallic ringing of his voice seemed parallel to her. Other than gender, his only notable differences were his apparent difficulty at expressing himself personally and his much more severe amnesia.

Brushing a lock of fake blonde hair out of her face, Curly tried her hardest to recall more about her past. Just like all the other times she had done so, there was nothing certain that she could remember. Nothing more than flashes of unclear battles and noises came back to her, frustratingly.

She entertained the possibility that before losing their memories, she and Quote had known each other somehow. The odds of that being true were difficult to determine, but with how many similarities the two shared it couldn't have been completely unlikely. A part of her wanted to accompany him on his mission to destroy the red flowers, not only to secure the safety of Mimiga everywhere but also on the off chance that she could learn something about her past. Nevertheless, she couldn't leave. She had to look after the children.

Another smile graced her lips as she watched them play. Curly couldn't help it; they'd captured her heart not long after she woke up to the sight of them lost and homeless. The Colons looked up to her like a mother, and she returned their affection in full. While life in the barren Sand Zone wasn't easy, they somehow managed to get by with scavenged desert plants for food and hydration. Curly had no need for either, being a robot, and instead contented herself by just observing them happily eating. Life was simple, but fulfilling all the same. If she had one complaint, it was that the children had a tendency to roughhouse fairly often.

 _THUD._

Speaking of which…

"Hey! Didn't I say to keep it down?"


	16. Together

Chapter 16: Together

When Quote reawakened half an hour later, he immediately understood the logic Curly and Malco shared (despite having never spoken to one another) in urging him to rest. Powering up gave him a slight twitch in his joints which lasted for a good three minutes as they adjusted themselves for movement, but aside from that he felt fantastic. All of the fatigue and pain he'd been feeling before the short nap was gone, and he was raring to go.

As he sat up in the bed, a less pleasant sensation hit him: the scent of Mimiga fur hung thick in the air, and he suspected that it would be following him for some time. No matter how much he wanted to help them as a species, he still couldn't get over how overpowering their floral smell was. He had to admit it was a nitpick, however, and something that could ultimately be looked past.

The same couldn't be said for the loud bangs coming from outside, but Quote dismissed them as Curly and her "children" being overly playful. He didn't know how they behaved, after all. Once he was fully upright, he decided to contact Malco for more advice. The other robot may have been chattier than he'd like, but he clearly knew what he was talking about when it came to navigation.

"Hey, are you-"

 **"Ah! Greetings, Quote! So nice to see you again!"**

He sounded more enthusiastic than usual, notably. Malco began rattling off a series of updates on his progress back in the Bushlands faster than the soldier could comprehend, only to stop with a startled screeching noise after a moment. While Quote hadn't known him for all that long, he could somehow tell something wasn't right.

 **"Warning! I'm detecting a powerful source of magic near you!"**

It was then that he paid close attention to the sounds coming from outside the bedroom. Mixed in with the loud crashes was the distinct noise of gunfire and the occasional shout. Jumping out of bed to his feet, he scrambled to equip the missile launcher, Bubbline, and Polar Star. What was going on out there?

* * *

Curly flew across the room and painfully smashed into a wall, slumping to the ground afterward. She struggled to get up, feeling the full force of her injuries all at once.

"Can't… lose…"

Her pale-skinned, blue-haired opponent folded her arms from near the door. A smirk was etched onto her mouth as she watched the robot try to stand.

"You certainly bit off more than you can chew by resisting me. Now you'll pay the price for defying the Doctor's orders. The Mimiga are coming with me."

"NEVER!" Curly screamed, taking aim with her machine gun and letting loose.

The witch- who'd neglected to introduce herself- countered with a magical barrier of black spheres that completely dissolved her energy bullets. She muttered something under her breath, after which a bolt of lightning spontaneously exploded at the robot's feet. Her whole body jolted and she was tossed aside once again, badly damaged. Curly could only watch in horror as the Colons, her children, were enveloped in large bubbles by the witch. Their tiny cries for help were muffled by the capsules.

"No… no! Don't take them! Kill me, but leave them alone!"

"The decision regarding their fate is not mine… rest assured, though, I can at least grant you your first request-"

Just as the witch was preparing to finish her off, the bedroom door flung open. Quote burst out with his pistol drawn, opening fire without a moments' hesitation. The kidnapper warded off his shots as well, but thanks to his ambush at least one of them struck her directly. Hissing in fury, she vanished into thin air just like she'd came in the first place. Curly's hopes were dashed upon realizing that the Colons had been taken with her.

"N-no…"

She wasn't technically able to cry, lacking proper eyes, but the heaving sobs coming from her mouth weren't any less real. They were gone. Her family was gone.

* * *

 **"Target… has escaped…"** Malco commented hesitantly, even though there was no need to.

"Damn it!" Quote growled, smashing his fist into a wall. Despite having only met her enough times to count on one hand, he'd officially grown to loathe Misery with every fiber of his being. Not just because of her kidnapping and hostility; there was something about how indifferent she was to her own actions that really rubbed him the wrong way.

"Malco, can you track where she's going?"

 **"…no. She's no longer close enough to you for me to detect her. I am terribly sorry."**

His guide's attempts to calm him down hardly succeeded, and the only reason he got ahold of himself was because he noticed Curly laying against the wall, loudly crying. Quote walked over and kneeled beside her with no idea what he was supposed to do in this situation. What could he say that would even help? "Hey, sorry that your kids were stolen" or something ridiculous like that?

The female robot looked up at him with a devastated glare.

"What took you so long?! While you were- were _sleeping_ , that witch came in and took them all away! Now they're… they're all… ohhh…"

Curly choked out another sob, and her expression softened upon seeing the sympathetic look on Quote's face (or as sympathetic as he could manage).

"I-I'm sorry for yelling at you. It wasn't your fault, I know… I'm a failure of a mother!"

He looked over her body to see the extent of her injuries. Although her smooth white skin was very banged up and dirty, she didn't appear to have suffered any broken parts. Her hair was also a mess, but other than that she was physically in decent condition.

 **"She's lucky to be in this state."**

"I know that, Malco."

Curly sniffed and glanced at him with a puzzled expression.

"What? Did you just say something?"

"Huh- oh right, you can't hear him… I'm connected to a different robot; he's been seeing and hearing the same things as me for a while now. He talks a lot, but he can occasionally offer good advice."

 **"I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Anyway, I believe it to be in our best interests that I establish contact with her as well. What do you think?"**

Quote looked back down at Curly and repeated what Malco had said quickly. Time was already short, and he didn't want to just stand there for too long.

"He wants to connect to my sensory receptors? Uh… sure, I guess. How do I-"

 **"Permission has been granted! Thank you, Curly Brace! My name is Malco."**

Judging from her look of bewilderment, it was obvious to Quote that she could hear him now as well. He reached out to Curly, offering to help her stand up. With a grin that didn't fully mask the pain she must have still been feeling, she took his hand. As he pulled the other soldier to her feet he heard Malco hum in satisfaction.

 **"Did you say we should look for a witch named Jenka?"**

A brief flicker of rage flashed across her face at the word "witch," but she stayed composed.

"Yeah, I've only met her once but she seems to know all sorts of things. She lives just up the way, so we don't have far to travel."

"'We?'" Quote asked with a frown.

"Of course. What, you don't think I'm in good enough shape to come with you? My children were just kidnapped; there's no way I'm going to just stand here. I can fight too, you know."

He remained silent, giving her a nod to show he understood.

 **"Splendid! Let's go find those red flowers before it's too late!"**

Quote turned and marched out the door into the Sand Zone. Curly was hot on his heels, clutching her machine gun tightly. Malco, as usual, had begun rambling about the situation at hand in addition to whatever he was doing back in the Bushlands. With that, the newly-formed team set out toward Jenka's house.

For the first time since he'd woken up, Quote didn't feel so empty inside. His two companions, although he hadn't known them for long, gave him an odd sense of confidence.

It was just a shame that Curly reeked of Mimiga fur.


	17. Across the Wasteland

Chapter 17: Across the Wasteland

 **Author's Note: Late response to a comment made a few chapters ago, Quote's hat does say "Curly Brace" in early artwork of Cave Story. I decided to have it say Quote mostly for convenience's sake, so he would at least know what to call himself since the beginning.**

* * *

Quote couldn't say he was surprised that the Sand Zone lived up to its name, but he was caught off guard by the degree to which that was the case. Thinking back to when he'd first entered the area through the teleporter, he realized just how foolish it was to have considered that small area was aggressively sandy. The route to Jenka's house had him constantly stumbling and wavering in the unstable ground, at several points even falling onto his face. Getting back up from that was always a chore, not helped by Curly's amused giggling every time.

It only took him five minutes of the walk before he'd decided that he really didn't like sand. It was coarse, and rough, and-

"Not used to it, huh?" his fellow soldier commented after he'd collapsed for the fourth time.

He was admittedly jealous of her in that regard. Having spent the past three weeks in the Sand Zone, she'd clearly adapted to traversing the environment and could steadily walk without fear of falling. Every time Quote tripped over, she would good-naturedly tease him about it and help him back to his feet. Jenka's house, contrary to what she'd said, didn't appear to be "a short walk away" at all, so he was bound to suffer through that humiliation more. At least her injuries were slowly but surely repairing themselves from what he could see, and they had yet to come across any monsters. Things weren't all bad.

 **"I'm sensing rough vibrations in the ground below you. It could be trouble,"** Malco announced into both their receptors.

Fantastic.

* * *

Curly felt a little bad about finding the sight of her new ally struggling with the sand so amusing, but she couldn't help it. Anything to help raise her spirits after the kidnapping of her children was welcome by that point. The incident was still fresh on her mind, filling the robot with a burning motivation. She had to get them back, and if that witch got in the way again she'd tear her limb from limb.

As she watched Quote fall over again, she realized that she couldn't afford to lose herself to rage. She felt she was more than justified in being furious, but allowing it to overtake her would only be a bad idea in the long run. For the sake of the Colons, she had to keep her spirits as high as possible.

Curly smiled down sympathetically at her companion as he dusted himself off.

"Not used to it, huh?"

He gave her a look of mock-irritation that only caused her grin to widen. At least he was being a good sport about it.

As little of a talker as he was, she supposed there could have been worse company to have. Quote had the air of a fighter about him- he was a soldier just like she was, after all- and the subtle confidence he showed as he determinedly trudged through the sand helped boost her own morale.

She also found Malco's omnipresent voice (from what she could tell, he was holed up in some other part of the island until further notice) to be a good companion. Curly had been worried at first that he'd be able to tell what she and Quote were thinking by connecting to their heads, but fortunately that wasn't the case. Perhaps to make up for that, the excitable robot would instead talk about anything on his own mind. Had the memory of the kidnapping not been so strong at the moment, she suspected that she and Malco could get into long conversations about nothing in particular. It was a nice goal to work toward, at least.

 **"I'm sensing rough vibrations in the ground below you. It could be trouble."**

"Perfect! I need to warm up my trigger finger… you ready, Quote?"

The male robot drew his pistol, or "Polar Star" as he'd called it at some point during the walk, and kept a close eye on the sand beneath them.

"You know the area, right? What are we dealing with?" he asked.

"If I had to guess, sand crocs. They tend to burrow around here."

"What are sand-"

Curly threw herself into a sideways roll as the ground directly under her burst open. Where she had been standing moments earlier, an enormous green reptile was thrashing around and snapping its jaws. The thing's long mouth was open to reveal hundreds of teeth that could rip her apart easily.

"Quote, aim for the eyes!"

Her shout had drawn the sand croc's attention, and it was sinking back underground to attack again. Before it had a chance to escape, the other robot blasted the side of its head with his gun. Its tough hide went relatively unscathed, but a lucky shot into the beast's eye caused it to roar in pain as it disappeared.

She didn't assume it was done fighting yet and continued to monitor the sand all around them. Another brief vibration- this time very close to Quote- signaled impending danger. Worryingly, he appeared not to notice it and put his gun away.

"Look out!"

Curly dashed forward and shoved him aside as the croc surfaced again. Recalling the strategy she normally employed when dealing with them, she waited for it to get closer before stomping her boot down on its snout. The beast, despite its powerful downward bite, had very little strength when it came to opening its mouth. Pinning it to the ground with her foot, the soldier unleashed several rounds from her machine gun directly into its face and put it down for good.

* * *

Their brief scuffle earlier had already hinted at her competency in battle, but now Quote could say for sure that Curly knew what she was doing. She'd been able to tell where the sand croc would appear and almost single-handedly defeated it whereas he had been clueless about handling it. As he was watching her finish off the beast, he hadn't even noticed a second creature coming up behind them until it was right on top of him. Malco, whatever he was doing at the moment, gave no warning of an impending attack.

The monster tackled him to the ground from the rear. Quote rolled over to get a better view of what it was, being greeted by something he hesitated to call a lizard. Like the sand croc, it had an overall reptilian look to it, but this new threat appeared to consist entirely of bones. No blood, organs, muscles, or even skin could be seen on the walking skeleton as it reared back to strike again.

Curly had been preoccupied at the time with another sand-dwelling monster, leaving Quote to fend for himself against the skeleton. He narrowly avoided its clawed foot smashing on the ground and fired off a few shots with the Polar Star, which didn't harm it in the slightest. Muttering a silent curse, he switched it out for the Bubbline. While the swarming projectiles it generated were capable of confusing the skeleton, it wasn't suffering any damage. Finally, Quote did what he admittedly should have from the beginning: he readied the missile launcher and unloaded it into the skull of his opponent. The explosion was clearly enough to take it down, as bone shards flew in every direction and whatever was left of the thing noisily collapsed.

His weapon didn't need to be reloaded between each shot, so he could use it on a dime again if necessary. The only downside was that its ammo count indicated he only had two missiles left, and no viable way of getting more for the time being.

Quote slung it back over his shoulder and stood up. Nearby, Curly was finishing off her own battle.

"Hey Malco," he asked aloud, "why didn't you tell me that thing was coming?"

 **"Hm? I'm sorry… keeping watch on the two of you is very stressful on my system. Not to mention I can't see through you both and monitor my own environment at the same time. Please bear with me."**

"It's no problem," Curly replied as she joined Quote. A few scratches were visible on her exposed stomach- leaving him to wonder why she was built to have a midriff, and if he did as well- but aside from that she was fine. "If you can't handle it, then don't worry. Just do your best."

 **"Thank you. You are a nice lady."**

She rubbed the back of her head with a chuckle.

"Don't mention it. Jenka's house should only be a few minutes away, so let's hurry up."

"I'm detecting a strong magical force, almost on par with Misery. Whoever this witch is, she must be enormously powerful."

"How do you know her?" Quote asked his fellow soldier.

"She passed by my home with the Colons a few days after I woke up… seeing how minimal our food and water supplies were, she magically generated some for us. After that, she promised that if we ever needed anything we could drop by her house. I would've liked to go see her again sometime, but I couldn't just leave the children alone. As for them coming with me- well, you know how dangerous this place is."

"What about your machine gun? Did she give that to you too?"

She shook her head with a grin.

"Nope. It was sitting right next to me when I woke up, and somehow I knew how to properly use it."

Another lucky break for her. She hadn't had to wander in dark caves for half an hour before stumbling across a feasible weapon.

Inwardly, Quote thought back to that old hermit he'd taken Polar Star from. He wondered how the man was doing, and if he knew his gun had been stolen. If he ever got the chance, he would make his way back to that first cave and return it.

"Here we are!" Curly said happily after some time. "We've made it to Jenka's house."

At last, they could really get somewhere.


	18. Old Woman Jenka

Chapter 18: Old Woman Jenka

 **Author's Note: This story's passed one thousand views! Thanks so much, readers, I hope I can continue to entertain.**

Just as Curly had said, Jenka's small abode looked like it had been standing for at least a century. Several, possibly, but there was no way anyone could live for that long… right?

As Quote approached the dark-colored metal building, he noticed just how much rust was covering the outer walls. It made him feel a bit uncomfortable, and he began wondering if it was possible for him to wind up like that. Whatever his false skin was made of, he hoped it wasn't metal. There were no windows visible, and the door was wide open, giving the house the rather unsettling appearance of a dark void beyond all the rust.

His companion seemed to notice his apprehension and giggled softly.

"What's wrong, not sure about meeting her all of a sudden? Relax, I'll go first."

She casually strolled up to the entrance and gave a hard knock on the wall.

"Jenka! You home? I need to ask you something."

From somewhere inside the darkness, a deep and wizened female voice croaked back.

"Is that you, Curly Brace? Come in, by all means. Tell your friend he doesn't have to just stand there either."

The two robots shared a confused look, unsure of how she knew Quote was also there. Regardless, he followed Curly inside after a moment.

"Welcome, welcome. What brings you two so far into the Sand Zone?"

His first impression of the house was that it smelled unusual. A very strong scent permeated the air, even overpowering his companion's "essence of Mimiga." To Quote's surprise, he found dog fur (there were no less than four of them curled up by a crackling fireplace, fast asleep) to actually be a more tolerable smell despite its more "organic" qualities. He was still confused as to why he kept getting hung up on such a minor detail.

Jenka sat in a wooden rocking chair on the other side of the one-room home, not far from her simple bed. The place as a whole felt very underwhelming as far as details went, somewhat including the witch herself. She was very short (about Professor Booster's height) with brown, wrinkled skin and white hair tied up in a bun. Dark tan robes covered her body, and from behind her thick glasses she looked firmly at the two.

"Of course, I don't think I need to ask why you're here anyway. What would two soldiers from the surface world be here for if not for the flowers? That IS what you're interested in, yes?"

Just as Quote was about to reply, Malco blared an alarm at the pair.

 **"I'm detecting something powerful approaching! Beware!"**

Less than a second after he'd finished speaking, the entrance was smashed inwards as a gigantic object collided with it. By then, it didn't take the male robot long to deduce what that was.

"Huzzah!"

* * *

Curly found her vision suddenly obscured by a dust cloud, and she bewilderedly tried to wave it away. What was going on? Were they under attack? And who was that voice shouting jovially? Once her sight was clear, she got a look at the intruder.

"Balrog," Jenka said quietly in greeting. She seemed familiar with the hulking suitcase-looking entity, and to her shock so did Quote. He'd drawn his Polar Star and was threateningly pointing it at the uninvited guest, who appeared not to notice him or Curly in the slightest. He gave the witch a giant grin and a laugh.

"How you doin', Auntie?"

"Quite well before you burst through my door, as a matter of fact. You really should learn a better method of entering rooms."

"Aw, but you can just magically fix it! Why do you think I like smashing it so much?"

Jenka was clearly less amused than Balrog.

"You haven't changed, I see. And how is my half-wit of a daughter doing?"

"Misery? She's fine too. We're working for a new master, and this time I'm sure the surface will be ours!"

"I'm so sure. What are you doing here, then? Just felt like causing trouble?"

The unexplainable entity smiled even wider and held out one of his triangular arms.

"Not at all! I just need the key to the warehouse where those red flower seeds are kept. You haven't given it to soldier boy and his new blonde pal, have you?"

 **"I recognize him… he appeared in the Bushlands, mentioning someone called the Doctor."**

Curly's fists clenched angrily, but she didn't say anything in response. If Balrog was an ally of the witch who'd kidnapped the Colons, then he was just as much of an enemy to her. Jenka, surprisingly, gave a confused grunt.

"A key, you say? What in the world are you talking about? There is no key."

Judging from the walking suitcase's deadly serious expression, he knew she was lying. Curly watched him let out a "hmph" before commenting.

"Trying to fool me, are ya? I see how it is, you want to betray us. You'll regret it."

With that, he marched out the enormous hole that used to be a door and jumped away. The robotic duo looked back at Jenka with uncertain looks on their faces.

"Another master… more likely another idiot who didn't know what he was dealing with."

"Is there really a key to get the flowers?" Curly asked hopefully. The witch gave her a sharp look, promptly quieting her down.

"You don't have any clear memories of ten years ago, do you? Your silent friend here has a similar look in his eyes. Let me tell you, I'm not keen on the idea of allowing soldiers access to the flower seeds, amnesia or not. I remember it so vividly… robots arrived here by the hundreds in search of a powerful artifact, slaughtering helpless Mimiga in their wake. All the brave men and women who tried to defend them were shown no mercy, and the poor creatures ultimately resorted to eating those infernal flowers. Do you know what happens when they do that?"

For the first time since they'd arrived, Quote spoke up. He had an uncomfortable look on his face.

"…I think I do. They get almost four times bigger and lose all sense of reason, right? I was forced to kill one not long after waking up."

Curly stared at him in disbelief. He'd killed a Mimiga? And if the flowers had such a horrible effect on the species, then her children… no. She refused to let herself imagine that. The mere thought was unbearable.

"That's correct. Opening the warehouse for any reason would only allow an encore of the tragedy so many years ago. The enraged Mimiga tore through their robotic oppressors with ease, then vanished without a trace. If they somehow managed to get to the surface, where humans live… do you understand how dangerous those flowers are?"

Both robots were silent, and even Malco was conspicuous with his lack of comments. After a moment, Jenka's expression softened.

"You two aren't after them for malicious reasons; I can see in your eyes you want to avoid such a disaster. But I can't let you have the key anyway, the risk is simply too great."

The witch sighed, looking over at her four dogs. Somehow they hadn't woken up even when Balrog crashed through the door.

"…before you arrived, one of my puppies ran away. My hips are so fragile at my age… do you think you could find him for me? It would mean a lot."

* * *

Quote didn't let it show on the outside- he didn't let much of anything show on the outside- but her request actually irked him quite a bit. She'd stubbornly refused to let them find and destroy the flowers, and now she wanted them to fetch her pet? What kind of backwards logic compelled her to think they would agree?

"No problem," Curly said to his left. "We'll get him back."

As she dragged him out the door by his arm, he wasn't entirely surprised at her response for some reason.

 **"This is a problem… what are we going to do now?"**

"Let's start by finding Jenka's dog," the female robot replied to Malco calmly. "I understand why she's reluctant to let us in, but maybe if we help her out she'll change her mind."

 **"I'm afraid dogs aren't among the creatures I can track, as they exhibit no particular energy source to lock onto. Keeping watch over you is also taking a lot out of me, and I need to recharge a bit. You two are on your own for the time being."**

"Go ahead, take a short rest. Sweet dreams!" she said encouragingly. A short click in their heads indicated that Malco had disconnected.

Quote wasn't sure if robots could even dream, but he was far less sure of how to read Curly. No matter how dire the situation, she'd maintained a relatively upbeat attitude ever since their skirmish with Misery. How did she manage to stay so cheerful?

She cleared her throat awkwardly, breaking the silence as they walked.

"Uh, you feeling okay? You're kinda starting at me."

"Hm? Oh, sorry about that. I'm thinking…"

To his surprise, she gave him an odd sort of smile.

"Really? And that involved looking at me for ten seconds? What're you thinking about, hmm?"

He rolled his eyes. Somehow, he must have been programmed to understand what she was getting at. An odd addition to a robot, in his opinion.

"I didn't mean that. Just… how can you be so positive in a time like this? Your children were just stolen from you, and if Balrog comes back there's no telling if Jenka can keep the key safe."

"Well yeah, things are tough at the moment. I know there's a lot at stake here, but I don't want to lose my sense of reason over it. Of course I'm worried about the Colons. Keeping a cool head will serve me better in a fight, you feel me?"

As he listened, Quote reflected that he didn't have a personal reason of his own to be on this mission. He wanted to help Sue, Kazuma, Booster, King, and the other Mimigas out of a sense that it was the right thing to do, but he could see so much more than that in Curly. She didn't just want to act in the right, she had a goal in mind after destroying the red flowers. What would be in store for him once they were finished? Sue had mentioned bringing him along during their escape from the island… at any rate, there wasn't time to think about this. They had a job to do.

"Yeah, I think I understand," he said after a while.

"Good man. Now, let's find that dog."


	19. Feelings

Chapter 19: Feelings

Malco could, in fact, dream while he was shut down. It took on a different meaning for robots, and instead of generating surreal images his inner computer sifted through its memory banks to try and find more about his past. Unfortunately for him, he was too distracted with his thoughts about what Jenka had revealed.

 ** _"_** ** _Robots like us killed Mimiga during the war…?"_**

In retrospect, he didn't remember who their enemies had even been. His scan of his memories hadn't turned up anything yet, but if someone as old as the witch claimed to know what had happened then anything was possible. Malco and the rest of the force sent in as Retrieval Team 9 could have been responsible for the deaths of countless Mimiga, if that was true.

Thinking about it distressed him more than he wanted to admit. From what he'd seen and heard through Quote, the small creatures were hardly of any threat except when driven to consume red flowers. Could such an innocent-looking race really have been his crew's targets? And what were they supposed to do now that the war was apparently over?

He pushed those questions out of his head. Whatever had occurred in the past, the Mimigas were counting on Quote and Curly. He would continue to help his two fellow robots as much as he could, and if the white, fluffy beings were their allies then they were his as well. It wasn't like anyone from Retrieval Team 9 had come back to tell him otherwise yet, at any rate.

Although… that realization did raise two additional questions for Malco. Where _were_ the other robots he'd been sent to the floating island with if the war was over? And, more importantly, what had they been sent to "retrieve" in the first place? Jenka had mentioned an artifact of some kind earlier, so he would have to further search his memory banks before waking up again.

* * *

The search for the missing dog had thankfully been rather short. Curly noticed him first after ten or so minutes of walking, his white fur easily spotted against the dark rocks and sand of the cavern. Before she had a chance to beckon for him to come closer, however, he'd wandered off toward another seemingly abandoned building. With Quote right behind her, she followed the runaway inside to complete their small task. No monsters gave them trouble on the way there.

Immediately upon entering, she picked up an unbearably foul smell in the air. It was as if dozens of rotting fish were left haphazardly around… actually, that was _exactly_ the case. Her nose wrinkled in disgust as she surveyed the decrepit old house, noticing how many skeletal fish were strewn on the floor and beat-up furniture. They'd apparently been eaten and never discarded, and occasionally a stray bone could be heard crunching under her footsteps.

"Ugh, let's get out of here as soon as we can," Quote commented behind her.

"You can say that again… huh? Did you hear that?"

Her hand strayed toward the hilt of her machine gun when a low croaking noise emanated from somewhere nearby. She was stunned to realize that words could be made out in it.

"How did you get all the way out here, little one…?"

Just around a corner in the abandoned structure sat a hunched reptilian creature wearing a green cloak. Curly couldn't make out much of it aside from the orange scales around its mouth and frighteningly sharp teeth. The thing was holding Jenka's puppy in its lap and stroking it with a four-fingered hand that looked just as scaly as the rest of it.

"Cthulhu?" Quote said aloud. She looked between the two in surprise; had they met before?

Noticing that it wasn't alone, the hooded creature glanced up at them with a toothy grin. Its eyes could be seen for the first time, almost bulbous in appearance and pure white.

"Ah… the surface soldier arrives," Cthulhu commented in a low voice. "I see you've found a friend. Well met, Miss Curly Brace."

"What the- how do you know my name?"

His unsettling smirk only widened.

"Not many people live out here in the Sand Zone. I was bound to learn who you were sooner or later from that witch. As for you, soldier, I don't believe you told me your name when we first met."

The other robot looked tense around Cthulhu (not that she blamed him) but answered after a brief hesitation.

"I'm Quote. You said you know Jenka? How?"

"So many questions… I believe you two have more important matters at hand. You came here for this canine, yes? Take him, I have no desire to keep him around."

The dog jumped out of his arms and ran over to Curly, rubbing his head against her side. While the sensation of his soft fur felt good, it didn't distract her well enough from how unnerved she was.

"Uh… thanks, mister," she said uncertainly.

"Heh heh heh. Do tell her to keep her pets under control; they try to take my meals away…"

He withdrew a dead fish from somewhere in his cloak and slid the entire thing into his mouth, crunching down on it with a voracious smile. The two robots fled the house without even saying goodbye to him.

* * *

"Well," Quote said after about some time in silence, "at least we got the dog back."

He had been stealing glances at Curly, verifying that she'd found Cthulhu just as terrifying as he had. The female soldier had obviously been shaken up by the encounter, perhaps even more than him. With Malco still offline and her not saying a word, he realized that he wasn't used to the sound of nothing. The unusual silence was brief, however, and before long her distinct smile had come back.

"I guess we did. Right, little guy? Aww, you're so cute…"

Although he stayed alert on the walk back to the witch's home, there was little need to. The two passed by another sand croc and reptilian skeleton creature, but the monsters had been more concerned with fighting one another than showing any hostile intent. Why exactly they were going at it was unclear to him; neither could rely on the other for food due to a respective lack of a digestive system and a lack of meat altogether. For all he knew, the Sand Zone's native wildlife just enjoyed fighting.

Even then, his attention was focused more on the robot accompanying him. Curly was nothing if not fascinating to watch as she played with the dog. He knew hardly anything about showing affection given that he'd done little else but fight in his time awake -which he'd lost track of already- while she was clearly an expert at it. Her fingers traced across its (he couldn't tell what gender it was) fur in light circles, eliciting pleasured growls from the dog that mingled with her own giggling. Although she still kept the machine gun in her other hand, Curly looked completely at ease. Her time with the Mimiga children had certainly taught her much about emotions, which he was still just beginning to understand.

"Hey Quote, don't you wanna pet him too? C'mere, like this."

She grabbed him by the wrist and placed his palm down on the dog's back, guiding him to stroke its fur. He suspected that he couldn't appreciate it on the same level as her, but it _was_ admittedly enjoyable to some degree. Quote was actually surprised by just how soft it felt to the touch. For the first time since he'd awoken, he found himself in a more tranquil state of mind. There may have been a lot at stake, but suddenly he wasn't as tense. On the contrary, he felt relaxed, in control, focused, and above all (strangely) warm. Was this what Curly had meant by not allowing the urgency of the situation to overtake his senses?

"Wow, you're pretty good at that," she said after letting go of him.

He felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth.

"…I guess I am."

Sadly, the mood was all but killed upon arriving at Jenka's house again. Balrog came bursting through the wall from the inside and flew away, clutching something in his hands. It was too small to see, but the satisfied look on his face could only mean one thing: he'd gotten the key to unlock the red flowers.


	20. Race for the Flowers

Chapter 20: Race for the Flowers

A loud alarm went off in Malco's head to indicate that someone or something was approaching. He wasn't upset that his semi-rest had been interrupted, but instead was curious as to what could be the cause of it. Strangely, he didn't consider that he could be in danger as he brought himself back online.

 **-Systems restarting**

 **-ID: RT9_Malco-Class_2**

 **-Password: XXXXXXX**

 **-Shutdown Synopsis: Monitoring of Soldier "Quote" and Soldier "Curly" resulted in overtaxed sensory receptors (resolved)**

 **-Current Objective: Motion detected in close vicinity. Investigate.**

Stepping outside to investigate, he found himself staring at an odd sort of creature. He was orange and appeared reptilian, but was mostly cloaked in a green robe and hood. The unusual person smiled upon seeing him, baring his yellowish teeth.

 **"** **Greetings!"** Malco said aloud, without much care. It almost excited him to finally have another visitor. **"Welcome to the base camp of Retrieval Team 9…"**

His voice faded when he realized what he'd just said. What was he doing? He'd been stationed there to guard it from intruders, not just invite anyone in! For all he knew, this mysterious person intended to steal the equipment.

 **"** **Uh… I mean, halt! You are intruding upon the territory of Retrieval-"**

The hooded creature held up a scaly, four-fingered hand. Malco found himself unable to speak all of a sudden, perhaps due to confusion.

"Worry not," he began in a low voice, "I have no intent to harm you. Far from it, in fact. I wish to assist you and your two companions… they will be in grave danger soon."

He'd almost forgotten about Quote and Curly. How were they doing? What did he mean that they'd be in danger? They needed his help!

"I sense you are concerned for them… heh heh heh, good. Friends are growing more difficult to come by in these caverns."

 **"** **Who are you?"** Malco said at last. He wanted to contact the soldiers right away, but distracting himself from the suspicious man in front of him didn't seem wise.

"I am called Cthulhu," he replied. It was an extremely vague answer, and the robot still knew nothing about this person.

"If my predictions are accurate, your friends will soon arrive at an area out of your range of communications. Should you desire to further support them, your only option is to join them there. I can send you, if you would like. You may wish to arm yourself beforehand."

He had barely moved a muscle during his speech, appearing more robotic than Malco himself. Cthulhu didn't look trustworthy at all, but something in his programming compelled him to hear what he had to say.

 **"…** **where is this place you speak of?"**

Under his hood, his reptilian mouth curled into a smile.

"The Labyrinth."

* * *

Jenka's house was a wreck. Chunks of the wall were scattered across the floor, what little furniture she had was overturned, and ashes from the fireplace were thrown around the single room. Her dogs cowered in one of the corners, soon joined by the one Quote and Curly had brought back.

"Are you alright?!" the latter soldier asked in a panic, rushing over to the witch's crumpled form. Her glasses had been broken, but fortunately she didn't seem to have sustained any mortal wounds.

She got to her feet with a groan, looking Curly in the eyes.

"Balrog, he… he has the key. When he showed up again, I thought I could handle him. Misery must have given him a boost in strength, though… I'm far too old to compare to my daughter in terms of magic."

Behind them, Quote looked like he wanted to immediately bolt out the door in pursuit. Frankly, Curly wanted to do the exact same thing. Before they could leave, however, Jenka called out to them.

"Wait! You must be wary… though Misery and Balrog are powerful, they serve a far greater threat. If they truly have a new master, then... he possesses an artifact of unfathomable potential. Do _not_ underestimate him."

The witch reached into a fold on her robes and pulled out a small jar filled with an unidentifiable red substance, handing it to Curly with a look of grim confidence.

"Take this with you. It will fully restore the health of whomever drinks it, and will even work on robots such as yourselves. Don't waste it, though, as I have only been able to gather enough materials for one potion. It also cannot restore an enraged Mimiga to normal, so don't try that if the worst should occur."

Nodding, she crammed it into a pocket in her own pants and ran out the door with her companion just ahead of her.

* * *

In his head, Quote felt somewhat responsible for the turn in events. Why hadn't he stayed behind in case Balrog returned- which he did? Why didn't he just run back to Jenka's house with the dog, instead deciding to spend valuable time watching Curly pet it? Why hadn't Malco warned them of the danger?

Wait… where _was_ Malco? It had been well over half an hour since he'd shut down to rest, and there still wasn't any sign of him. Quote had no idea how to connect to the robot himself, so he was without a guide on the return trip through the Sand Zone. Even Curly seemed overwhelmed and unsure of how to proceed. He almost would have liked it if monsters suddenly showed up to attack; at least he could vent some of his frustration on them.

As it was, the trail toward the large warehouse containing the red flower seeds was largely devoid of action. They passed by the old residence where Cthulhu had been without incident (whether that was good or bad could be decided later on), and before long the significantly larger building was in view. Quote's already unstable confidence sank even further upon seeing a wide-open door.

"That must be it!" he shouted as they approached the entrance. Another voice came from behind the two, one that caused Quote to stop in his tracks.

"Wait up! What's going on?"

"King?"

Sure enough, it was the number-one from Mimiga Village. King had his sword drawn and was rushing toward the warehouse, kicking up sand in his wake.

"I thought I wouldn't be able to catch up to you," he said to Quote. He'd hardly spared Curly a glance due to them never having met, but there were more important things than introductions at hand. "Is this where the red flowers are?"

The soldier nodded with an urgent look on his face.

"Yes… but we're running out of time. The Doctor's henchmen found the key to it, and they're inside already-"

He hadn't even been able to finish that sentence before King sprinted past. For such a small-legged creature, he could move surprisingly quickly.

* * *

Curly would have found the prospect of meeting another Mimiga exciting had there not been so much going on at the moment. "King" looked noticeably different from the Colons due to his longer, scarred snout and light red eyes, but he was clearly of the same species. Her fists clenched tightly around the machine gun, thinking of how her children were doing. Once the red flowers were destroyed, she could get around to saving them.

Quote had already begun pursuing King into the warehouse, and she followed close behind. The three arrived in an enormous room entirely coated with tan metal panels and illuminated by some unseen light source (possibly magic). A few stray patches of dirt were visible here and there, sprouting from which were numerous short plants with unsettlingly red petals.

The witch who had kidnapped the Colons and her suitcase-looking cohort stood at the far end of the room, assuming defensive stances when the three newcomers arrived. However, neither could truly distract from the real object of focus: the person standing directly between them.

"…curious…"

He was a human in his late forties, if his lightly tanned and wrinkled skin was anything to go by. Despite standing several inches taller than both of the robots, he appeared to make himself look less imposing by constantly hunching his shoulders. The man was dressed in a long, pure white lab coat, unbuttoned in the front to reveal a simple brown shirt and navy blue shoes underneath. It was impossible to get a clear reading of his expression, as his eyes were hidden behind a pair of classes, but his mouth was curled into an unpleasant smile.

What _really_ got Curly's attention was the object he wore on his head. The man's upper forehead and hair were completely concealed by a metal helmet of sorts, mostly colored dark blue but with a red eye-shaped gemstone embedded in the center of it. An intricate black design of a dragon was painted on both sides of the odd headpiece to complete its puzzling look. She wasn't familiar with the object or its wearer, but she had a good idea of the latter based on context. King only confirmed her suspicions when he spoke out.

"You're the Doctor! You're the one behind the kidnapping of my friends!"

The human looked between the three late arrivals with a pleasant smile which didn't at all make him seem less sinister.

"Yes, you are correct. I am the Doctor, but you will call me Master from now on."

His voice… Curly would have honestly rather listened to Cthulhu again than take in another word of this person's overt smugness.


	21. The Doctor

Chapter 21: The Doctor

Quote wasn't going to give any of their three enemies the chance to speak. He immediately drew Bubbline from its holster and took aim, hoping that the spread of projectiles could cover all of them. As he prepared to attack, however, Misery gave a loud warning.

"Not so fast!"

She held out her staff and muttered an incantation, at which point someone else was teleported into the room with them. It was a small Mimiga girl with a green sweater, who collapsed onto the floor in a painful-looking heap. The soldier frowned upon seeing her; she looked familiar…

"Toroko!" King cried to his left. Now he remembered, she was that girl who'd been kidnapped after being mistaken for Sue. He snarled fiercely, ready to tear them apart if they hurt her.

"Try anything funny, and the Mimiga will die," the witch said simply.

"Now now, Misery, let's not be hasty…"

The Doctor continued to survey the impromptu rescue party.

"Two soldiers from the surface world? And here I thought the war had ended long ago. Ha ha ha! No wonder my servants have been struggling, if our enemies are so formidable. What to do with you, though…"

His gaze traveled downwards, locking onto the red flowers sprouting from the ground. Quote felt a sudden knot in his stomach (which he wasn't sure if he even had).

"We've gathered all the seeds necessary, and there are still so many Demon Flowers left… let's test them, shall we? Balrog. Feed this girl a flower."

As he spoke, Toroko finally- and unfortunately- woke up. She looked around in fright and confusion before noticing King and the two robots. In a panic, she tried running to them but was stopped when Balrog grabbed her shirt. He held a handful of red petals and began trying to stuff them into her mouth, a deadly serious look on his face.

"NO!"

Quote watched as King charged forwards with his sword raised, ready to impale Balrog from behind. Before he could get close, a searing lightning bolt from Misery impacted him directly in the chest. The Mimiga was sent flying across the room, colliding with the wall and dropping to the ground. He wasn't moving.

"Amazing," commented the Doctor with a sickening grin, "that they are so weak before the anger takes them."

"H-help me!" Toroko cried pitifully, choking on the flowers as Balrog finished shoving them down her throat.

At last the soldier snapped out of his stunned trance and readied Polar Star. He couldn't risk using Bubbline, or else he might have hurt King's friend.

"Monsters!" Curly screamed from behind him. "You're going to pay for this!"

The Doctor cast one glance at the cowering Toroko, whose eyes had suddenly become a dark shade of red, and laughed to himself.

"We have what we came for. Misery, Balrog, let's go. The Mimiga will deal with our guests."

With that, the witch teleported them all away to parts unknown. Quote was seething with anger, but they had already left before he could attack. At any rate, Toroko was the primary concern now. He didn't know of any way to reverse the flowers' effects, and if experience told him anything it was that a fight was imminent.

A fight which would end in death for either side.

* * *

In a moment of blind panic, Curly ran over to the small Mimiga. It pained her to see just how much she looked like the Colons, even down to her clothing. She gently put her hands on the girl's quavering shoulders, praying that she could do something to help.

"H-hey, are you alright? Stay with me! Come on, you can beat this!"

"Curly, get away from her!" she heard Quote shout.

The female soldier paid him no mind, shaking Toroko's shoulders to try and bring her out of whatever trance she'd fallen into.

"Hurts… my head… hurts…"

"It'll be okay," she said desperately. "Please, tell me it'll be okay…"

The Mimiga's entire body went stiff for a moment, then Curly felt a sharp pain in her stomach as she was _thrown_ by Toroko. She landed in a heap a good ten feet away, staggering to get up.

It was too late. The robot could only watch in horror as the transformation began.

* * *

Having only met one mutant Mimiga before (and wished to never meet another), Quote wasn't sure what the process of becoming such a creature looked like. In no way did he want a front-row demonstration of it, but that was about to happen regardless.

Toroko's body began to unnaturally stretch itself. Her arms and legs contorted with rapidly-expanding muscle mass, while her short snout extended outwards by a good three inches. Inside her mouth, row after row of razor sharp teeth tore from her gums, dripping with blood. Her clothes were reduced to little more than shreds when her twisted metamorphosis reached its end, as she was now almost four times the size she'd been beforehand.

Seeing that she wasn't alone, the rabid Mimiga snarled viciously at Quote. Maybe it was a good thing that she had yet to notice Curly off to the side, but Toroko was now lumbering toward him. Her once innocent and gentle eyes had lost any sense of kindness to them.

As much as he wanted to believe that there was another solution to this, that somehow they could reverse the transformation, reality was staring him in the face. Toroko was gone, and the only choice was to put her out of her misery.

Misery… the very word was enough to infuriate him. She was going to pay for this; they ALL were.

Quote fired at his target with Polar Star firmly gripped in his hands, aiming for her mouth and eyes. If this was anything like the Mimiga he'd battled in the Egg Corridor, then those would be his best bet for ending the fight quickly. Toroko- no, the beast (it would be easier for him to no longer think of them as the same person) met the shots head on, growling in anger. The fur on her forehead was burned slightly, but aside from that she showed little sign of injury. He took a step backwards and continued to shoot as the monster charged forward.

"I'm sorry about this…"

When his foe had gotten within arm's reach of him, he jumped high into the air and rained more shots down on her head. Landing safely behind her, he whipped out Bubbline to continue his assault. Crushingly, the storm of lasers and bubble shots barely even fazed the rabid Mimiga. Her mouth wasn't open wide enough to score a good hit, and her eyes had somehow not been struck by a single projectile. Worse still, she'd already reacted to Quote's dodge and was lunging forward again. This time, as he tried to jump she grabbed onto his leg in midair. With a loud roar, the beast slammed him onto the ground with all her might.

He wasn't sure why robots such as himself were able to feel pain, but at any rate he was definitely feeling it. The hard impact had left him stunned momentarily while he attempted to figure out which way was up. His enemy stood above him, ready to bring a foot down on his head. Quote reached for the Polar Star at his side, but inwardly he knew he'd never be able to ward her off in time.

Before he could be finished off, however, the sound of gunfire emitted from somewhere in the room. The monster was struck in the side of her head and stumbled, stomping her foot mere inches to the side of Quote rather than on him.

* * *

Curly had reacted rather spontaneously, with no guarantee that her surprise attack would do much against Toroko. It hadn't, ultimately, but at least she'd saved Quote. The enraged Mimiga turned its attention to her, finally noticing that another enemy was present. She kept firing her machine gun as much as she could, spraying multiple parts of her body with no apparent effect.

 _"_ _Uh-oh, now what?"_

For a moment, Curly thought about trying to throw Jenka's healing potion into her mouth, but the witch had already warned her that it wouldn't work. Toroko wasn't slowing down at all in her advance, even seeming angrier than before. She circled around the Mimiga with her gun still being put to work, although the soldier had few other ideas on what to do.

Shrugging off her blasts easily this time, Toroko lunged forward to strike. She caught the robot with a downward swipe of her paw, forcing Curly to drop to her knees. Another fierce roar came, only to be followed by a pained gurgling noise. Quote was firing his pistol into the Mimiga's mouth, giving his partner a chance to move to safety. She gave him a short nod to indicate her gratitude, but his eyes suddenly widened in shock.

"Look out, she's coming-"

He didn't get the chance to finish before agony tore through Curly's right leg. In her rage, Toroko had inadvertently kicked her knee from behind. She felt something snap and gasped in shock from the pain. As the soldier struggled to move further away, she wound up tripping over something on the floor. The impact of her fall only worsened the feeling in her leg, which was beyond use at that moment.

Rolling over onto her back, she realized what it was she'd tripped over: Quote's missile launcher, which had been thrown off his shoulder strap when Toroko flung him around. With her machine gun sitting too far away to grab in time, Curly picked up the launcher and aimed at the charging Mimiga. She'd never used one in the three weeks she was awake, and trying to be accurate with it while on her back was easier said than done, but somehow she felt familiar with the use of the weapon. Toroko was approaching again with her mouth wide open, ready to bite down on the injured robot despite Quote's continuous blasts.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Curly pulled the trigger on the missile launcher.

* * *

The explosion loudly reverberated throughout the warehouse, and the resulting cloud of smoke obscured both the monster and Curly from view. Quote shakily got to his feet to investigate, amazed that nothing had broken in him from how hard he'd been slammed onto the ground. He couldn't tell what had happened until he was close enough to wave some of the smoke away.

His attention was immediately caught by the sight of the beast's corpse, lying flat on her back with her head tilted to the side. A steady trickle of blood poured out of her open mouth, and he realized that the missile had actually detonated between her jaws. Given the force of the blast, it was a wonder that her head hadn't been blown off altogether.

"Unngh…"

"Curly!"

The blonde was laying not far from their dead foe with the missile launcher at her side. Her right leg was bent at an unnatural angle, appearing broken. He knelt beside her with a concerned expression.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm… I'm fine. Where is-"

They looked toward the corpse as it began to contract. Just like the Mimiga Quote had fought in the Egg Corridor, the beast was shrinking to its original size. Before long, the bloodied carcass of Toroko lay before them, appearing just as innocent and helpless as she had beforehand. She might have looked like she was sleeping if not for the countless red stains on her fur.

Curly was completely silent, just staring down at the floor with her hair partially covering her face. He didn't try to look her in the eyes, afraid that her expression- whatever it was- might be too much to handle. Instead, Quote left her there and limped across the room to where King had been thrown by Misery. There was nothing that could be done for him; the other Mimiga had been dead since before the battle started, a charred black hole in his chest. His sword was on the floor beside him.

Quote lifted the blade off the ground and stared at it curiously. He'd never used such a weapon before, and not even his programming appeared familiar with it, but at the same time he felt a certain power stir within him by holding it. Something about taking the sword made him feel guilty, yet he felt that he could at least use it to help take down the Doctor.

"King… Toroko… I promise, I'll avenge you."

Leaving their corpses there without a burial didn't sit right with him, but he still had to worry about Curly. Her mangled leg was busily trying to repair itself thanks to their auto-recovery systems, but it would clearly take some time for her to be in fighting shape again. He walked over to her, taking a moment to collect their scattered weapons.

"Hey, why don't you drink that potion Jenka gave you?"

"No… it's fine. I don't want to waste it now."

She was still looking at the floor and barely moving. Quote knelt down next to her and put an arm around her back. He helped her stand up, half-dragging her to her feet. Curly didn't say anything to him and merely allowed herself to be pulled along as they exited the warehouse.

The Sand Zone was eerily silent once they were out and staring across the vast empty cavern. For the first time since he'd initially woken up, Quote was completely at a loss for what to do next. He'd failed to destroy the Demon Flowers, the Doctor had escaped with the seeds, Malco was still missing in action, Curly was injured, and to top it all off two more Mimiga were dead.

Dead… what was he going to say to Sue, Toroko's friend? What about Professor Booster, Kazuma, and the other residents of the village? Would Jenka know what to do?

The last thing he heard was a sudden cry of "Huzzah!" All he felt after that was a sharp pain on the back of his head before everything went black.


	22. Reunion

Chapter 22: Reunion

"A direct hit!" Balrog boasted aloud, looking at the two unconscious robots laying at his feet. He was delighted to finally get back at the male in particular; three defeats at his hands were seriously hurting his pride.

Misery teleported into the area behind him and gave the soldiers a visual inspection. Her mouth was curled in a perpetual frown, like usual, but her eyes didn't display the same level of malice. Balrog was a bit confused to see her like this.

"Well done, Balrog. At last you managed to do something right. Hm… fighting them directly has proved to be a chore so far. If we leave them here, they'll continue to be a thorn in the Master's side."

"What's the plan, then? Are we gonna take 'em both out?"

"…"

The witch continued to stare at the two, observing their various injuries from the fight with that rabid Mimiga girl. They were clearly more formidable than she'd initially given them credit for. Maybe even strong enough to defeat the Doctor…

"No. I have a better idea. I'll send them to the Labyrinth, where they'll be stuck. Think about it this way, Balrog. Either they remain trapped down there until the day they die, or they 'somehow' manage to escape. In the latter case… we have a chance to break our curse at last."

Balrog grinned eagerly.

"Win-win for us, huh? I like the way you think."

"Of course you do. And just to make this more fun… I'm sending you with them."

"What-"

Before he had a chance to object, a blue light emitted from Misery's staff. He and the two robots vanished instantly, leaving her alone. The witch smiled to herself once Balrog was gone. After living as long as she had under the service of the Demon Crown and its owners, she'd learned to appreciate the simpler pleasures.

As she transported them to the Labyrinth, however, she sensed an unusual presence at their destination for a few moments. The magical resonance wasn't nearly as powerful as her own, but it was distinct enough to be noticed. It almost felt… familiar.

Misery shrugged off the thought and teleported herself back to the Doctor's base of operations. She'd been away long enough as it was.

* * *

Quote jolted awake, feeling an odd coldness all around him. The very air seemed much thicker now, and he was standing limply with his head and arms hanging toward the ground. A seriously uncomfortable weight was spreading through his body, though what it was didn't strike him until he opened his mouth and felt a sudden rush of something frigid.

He was underwater.

Panicking, the soldier realized that he had no idea how to swim. His robotic body was too heavy to float, it seemed, so all he could do was shuffle along on the ground and hold his breath, trying to find a way up. Due to the murkiness around him he couldn't tell how deep it was.

With the surprise of his location, he'd accidentally gotten quite a bit of water into his mouth. That wasn't all, however; more of it was seeping into his body through any small opening it could find. He definitely wasn't built to be submerged like this. Quote could feel himself growing dizzy, and suspected that if he didn't find a way out soon the water would overrun his inner systems.

Something could be heard splashing behind him, and before he could turn to find out what it was he felt a strong grip pulling on the back of his shirt. He was being dragged out of the water, though by what was unclear. After a few moments his head breached the surface, and he was hauled onto a muddy bank.

Feeling the liquid slosh around uncomfortably inside him, he opened his eyes to get a better look at where he was. Another cave, predictably, but one far darker than any he'd been in beforehand. The body of water he was just submerged in was revealed to be a small pond, one barely any deeper than his own height by the looks of it. All around him, sturdy-looking rock pillars and what appeared to be metal girders were sticking out of the walls.

As curious as to where he was or how he'd gotten there, he was even more so about what had rescued him from drowning. Quote looked over his shoulder and was met by the sight of a small rectangular face staring back at him, colored light blue-gray with short antennae extending upwards from the sides. A pair of round red lights for eyes peered back at him, while various metal plates arranged themselves into a smile. The robot's body was just as angular as his head.

 **"** **Quote! Thank goodness, you're alright!"**

"Malco?! What are you doing here? Where are we?"

It had felt like such a long time since he was in the Bushlands that he almost didn't recognize his guide… until he began speaking, that is. Quote had been wondering where he'd gone; after Jenka sent him and Curly to find her dog, Malco had shut down and wasn't heard from again.

Wait a minute…

"Curly!" he exclaimed aloud, jumping to his feet to look for her.

 **"** **Ah, worry not! You two landed in the water over there, but she's perfectly fine."**

Like the other robot had said, she was visible in the shallow water nearby and still completely submerged. He took a step toward her, intending to drag her out, but Malco put a hand in front of him to suggest otherwise.

 **"** **Look closely! She doesn't need to worry about the water!"**

Indeed, as she pulled herself onto the bank with them, a semi-transparent bubble shrank itself down around her until it had vanished. Upon closer observation, she was hardly even wet at all. She collapsed again on the mud, laying on her stomach. Her leg was still mending itself nicely.

 **"** **Fascinating… I wasn't aware you had an Air Tank."**

"A what?" the two soldiers said in unison.

Malco walked to her side and knelt down. Without any hesitation or even a warning, he pulled the back of her tank top up to give them both a look at what was underneath.

Quote realized two things about Curly in that moment. First: despite their lack of blood as machines, she was capable of blushing. A good portion of her face had reddened in color from some mysterious source, sharply contrasting to her otherwise pure white exterior. She had an embarrassed grimace as she meekly tried to pull her shirt down again. Second: her back wasn't as uniformly smooth as he'd assumed. There was a noticeable indent in it, implanted in which was a cylindrical gray device with a small red stripe. He absentmindedly felt around his own back beneath his shirt, and sure enough a similar indent was there. However, he didn't seem to have anything in it like her.

 **"** **See that? It's a soldier-model Air Tank! I recall seeing those among members of Retrieval Team 9. They're very helpful, and activate on contact with large water bodies so your circuits won't be flooded."**

It was clear that Curly had only been half-listening to him as she finally succeeded in covering her back with her shirt. Her face was still quite red, not that Malco realized.

"About that," Quote replied, "I got some water into my body before you dragged me out. Should I be worried?"

 **"** **Considering you weren't submerged for very long, it should steadily drain out of you before your internal systems can suffer much damage. Aside from that, what have I missed while offline? How did you two get down here? Did Cthulhu bring you here as well?"**

Quote filled him in on everything: their search for the dog, their encounter with the Doctor, and the deaths of King and Toroko. By the time he was finished, Malco's head drooped and he emitted a saddened beeping sound. Curly, meanwhile, was completely silent again.

 **"** **How unfortunate… well, we have to stop the Doctor. That much is clear, right?"**

"Yes. Hold on… did you say Cthulhu brought you here?"

The robot tilted his head in slight confusion at the question.

 **"** **Correct. Have you met him? Green hood, orange body, somewhat reptilian in-"**

"We know, we saw him in the Sand Zone. How did you meet him in Bushlands, though? There's no way he could have crossed all the way there in such a short time, not even with the teleporter."

They stood there without saying a word for a few seconds, trying to process it. Quote didn't have a viable answer at the moment, and Malco seemed likewise.

 **"** **He didn't mention either of you… regardless, he did something with his hands in front of me. The next thing I knew, I was down here in the Labyrinth, as he called it."**

The soldier wondered how he himself could have been sent there. He remembered hearing a faint "Huzzah" before being knocked out. If Balrog had been the one to attack, then…

"I think the witch Misery warped us here, then. We need to find a way back to Mimiga Village. Is there an exit?"

Malco gestured behind them to a large metal door, tightly shut.

" **I've analyzed our surroundings already. That appears to be the only way out of here, and it's made of too strong a material to be blown up with our current armaments. An electrical signal is coming from somewhere above us, and I believe it may be a controller to open the door."**

Quote glanced up at the tall cave system again. He couldn't see the top, but from what he could tell the various stone and metal structures formed a kind of stairway- a very treacherous stairway, with dozens of opportunities to fall.

"Looks like a long climb, but if you think the way out is up there it'll have to do. I'll make my way to the top and-"

 **"** **No, I can't advise that."**

"Excuse me?"

Malco's voice was uncharacteristically serious.

 **"** **You're still damaged from the battle with that Mimiga, not to mention slightly waterlogged. It wouldn't be wise for you to try and climb so far up until you're in better condition."**

"I thought you said the water-"

 **"** **Will drain quickly, yes,"** the other robot cut him off again, this time in a quieter tone. **"But there's still another reason I want to go in your stead. It's her."**

He frowned as Malco nodded his head toward Curly. What was he talking about?

 **"** **She doesn't seem to be in very high spirits. The odds of our success without the maximum possible morale among our group are… well, not good. You know her better than I do, so see if you can help her somehow while I find the controls to open this door."**

With that, he pushed past Quote to begin the climb. The soldier stood there, dumbfounded for a moment as he tried to figure out what to do.


	23. Upwards and Outwards

Chapter 23: Upwards and Outwards

Malco felt a little bad about leaving his two fellow robots at the bottom of the crevice, but only just a little. If his plan worked out, then things would be fine for them afterward. He could get the door open and secure an escape route, and Quote could motivate Curly to get back on her feet… hopefully.

To be honest, even though the idea had been his there were several doubts about it in his mind. Malco wasn't a soldier like the other two; he was far less physically skilled or durable. As he began to jump across the various makeshift platforms, he had to be especially careful. The slightest misstep would send him careening back down to a grisly fate. He willed himself not to think about how hard the impact could be.

More uncertain than his chances of success were Quote's. The male soldier was a force to be reckoned with in a fight, but he was certainly no expert when it came to personal skills. Throughout the time Malco had spent observing him, he would rarely say much unless answering a question or asking one himself for clarity. Aside from that, Quote remained relatively silent in conversations, merely listening to others talk and not knowing what to do with himself. Speaking of which, he wondered how Sue, Kazuma, and Professor Booster were doing… they must have been expecting the soldier to return by then.

He pushed all those thoughts aside. Until they got themselves out of that locked room, there was nothing else that could be done. One step at a time, they would forge onward to success. Literally, in his case, as the vertical climb was getting more perilous the higher he got.

There was one other question on his mind, however. If that Cthulhu person had been able to teleport Malco there under the pretense of helping the soldiers, why couldn't he just bring them all out safely? Did he have another reason for them to be in the Labyrinth?

* * *

Quote would have, at that moment, done almost anything to be able to switch places with Malco. He didn't care about his aching back or the water in his body (currently leaking out of some unspecified opening in him) at all, he would have gladly attempted the climb himself if it meant he wouldn't have to be stuck down there with Curly. The female soldier was perfectly still and looking down at her lap, absentmindedly rubbing her injured leg. What was Malco even expecting him to say?

Feeling thoroughly ridiculous, he sat down across from her and tried to think of something.

"Uh… are you okay, Curly?"

"I'm fine. My leg's getting better."

Well, at least physically she was okay. The short tone of her reply didn't suggest he'd made much progress in his task, however.

"…you sure about that?"

She looked up at him at last, and the sheer amount of sadness in her eyes made him wish for a moment that she hadn't.

"Yes… no… I can't tell. How okay _should_ I be right now?"

"…"

Curly traced her finger around in the dark mud.

"We killed that girl, Quote. She looked so innocent, so sweet, even though I've never met her before… and we- no, I killed her."

He was silent for a few seconds.

"I… I met Toroko before that. In Mimiga Village, she was adamantly defending another girl named Sue. I didn't have much time to get to know her either, but from what I could tell she was a good person who just wanted to do the right thing for her friends."

Unsurprisingly, that didn't seem to help her mood much.

"Don't put all the blame on yourself," he continued, "because we're both responsible for her death to some degree. But we were doing what had to be done; nothing could have brought her back. And we know who's really behind this."

"…the Doctor," Curly fumed. "I don't care what he looks like, there's no way he's really human. He needs to pay for this."

"I know, and he's going to. But… think about what you told me back in the Sand Zone. We need to keep our heads clear if we want to beat him, right?"

Finally, her expression lightened a bit. It wasn't anywhere near her usual smile, but progress was progress.

"I… I know, I shouldn't get this worked up. It's just, I wasn't expecting that I'd have to _kill_ a Mimiga today, you know? Especially after taking care of those children… god, how can I even look at them again after this once we find them?"

Quote slid himself over so he was next to her and put an arm around her in what he assumed was a comforting gesture. Curly stifled a gasp- such a display must have seemed strange coming from him- but didn't react negatively. She gently leaned her head against his shoulder, and the two sat there for a few minutes without saying a word to one another. Somehow, Quote felt that they didn't need to say anything. He felt a subtle understanding with her, even though they hadn't known each other for long.

* * *

With a metallic grunt, Malco finally succeeded in pulling himself onto the next ledge. His sharp-pointed hands and feet had served him well during the climb, as without them he might not have been able to secure a grip on the various platforms. After every jump, he would double-check to make sure that he hadn't dropped his weapon.

Cthulhu had told him to arm himself before going to the Labyrinth, and Malco had done just that. While his combat programming was quite limited- his specialty was in analysis, after all- he was familiar enough with the "Fireball" handgun to use it in an emergency. This wasn't one of those times, as no hostile creatures were around, but the feeling of security was comforting nonetheless.

At long last, after a difficult ten minutes of climbing, he had made it to the top of the chamber. The source of the electronic signal was right in front of him: sure enough, it was an ancient-looking computer terminal. The screen was blinking with a choice.

 _"_ _Open door?"_

 **"** **Absolutely,"** he said to nobody in particular. Malco wasted no time in selecting yes, then turned around to head back.

Oh. Right. It would be another seven or eight minutes going down the way he'd came, if his estimation was accurate. He only hoped that his companions were doing well in the meantime.

* * *

"…and that's when Misery showed up, and turned him into a giant frog…"

With the third robot in their group still climbing, Quote had decided to tell Curly about all the things that had happened to him since he'd woken up. She didn't say much while he spoke, instead content to just listen. While she was clearly still upset about what had happened (and he couldn't blame her), the occasional soft giggle of amusement in response to his story was promising. Curly had almost laughed out loud when he mentioned getting hit on the back of the head by Toroko. While he wasn't sure how to take that personally, her mood appeared to be getting better.

The two weren't sitting as close to one another by then, with about a yard of space between them. Quote had moved away so she wouldn't have to lean on him and risk bending her leg, which was almost finished mending itself. Perhaps more honestly, it was to put more distance between himself and the scent of Mimiga fur that faintly emanated from her even now.

Although… he had to admit, the smell had grown on him a little over time. Maybe it was overexposure.

She'd offered to tell him about her experience with the Colons, but immediately after that the door let out a grinding sound and opened. Malco could be heard making his way down the platforms, so the story would have to wait for another time.

Once the third robot had reached the bottom again, he looked over the soldiers with a satisfied expression.

 **"** **See? The way forward is right in front of us! How do you feel, Curly?"**

"I'm alright, thanks. My leg is a little stiff, but I think I'll be able to walk on it again."

 **"** **Splendid! Are all your weapons accounted for?"**

Quote checked to make sure he had everything. Polar Star, Bubbline, the missile launcher, and King's sword were still in his possession, and Curly had her machine gun as well. For the first time he noticed Malco holding a gun of his own, but decided not to ask about it.

"We have everything," he confirmed.

 **"** **Double splendid! Onward, friends! Let's solve the Labyrinth!"**

The excitable robot marched out, humming to himself as he went. Curly got to her feet slowly and tested out her leg. Sure enough, it was in almost perfect condition after the repair procedure.

"Well, let's go. We don't wanna keep him waiting"

"Right behind you."

As he got up to follow her through the door, she suddenly paused and turned to look him in the eyes. The soldier gave him a grin, and he could finally see her cheerful old self coming back.

"Thanks for helping me feel better, pal. I'll be okay from here on."

He doubted she was completely over having to kill Toroko (or if she ever would be), but otherwise he felt elated to have succeeded. Giving Curly a nod and a thumbs-up in return, Quote walked after her to catch up with Malco.


	24. Into the Labyrinth

Chapter 24: Into the Labyrinth

Malco had gotten quite a head start on them, and Curly was finding it difficult to keep up. Knowing where he was served little challenge due to him loudly announcing even the most mundane findings to himself, but keeping pace with the robot was harder than it first seemed. Every time she got remotely close to him, he would dart further ahead with an excited warble. Her leg wasn't as much of a hindrance to her mobility as the increasingly narrow tunnels they were forced to navigate, and the uneven ground forced her to watch where she would step. From the sound of another set of footsteps, Quote was still trotting along relatively close behind her.

"Aren't you going to catch up with Malco?"

"He's fine," the male soldier nonchalantly replied. "After being cooped up in the Bushlands for so long, I'm sure he has a lot of energy he wants to let out."

That definitely seemed true, as from somewhere up ahead a synthesized humming could be heard.

"Point taken. Still, wouldn't you rather not be stuck walking behind me?"

Quote shrugged.

"It's not so bad. There aren't many other directions to go in. For a 'labyrinth,' this place is rather linear. Besides, the tunnel is too narrow for me to move in front anyway. I'd have to squeeze past you for that."

She stifled a giggle as she kept walking. It was nice to have company, especially during such trying times.

 **"** **Ah! I've met someone up here! Come, see for yourselves!"**

The two soldiers shared a glance before picking up the pace.

* * *

As they rushed forth in anticipation of meeting the person Malco had found, Quote began to wonder about what they'd see. A trapped Mimiga? A _mutant_ Mimiga? Another human, or even another robot? The Doctor or one of his henchmen? Cthulhu, perhaps?

 **"** **There you are! See? He calls himself one of the Gaudi."**

He froze upon catching up with Malco and his new friend. "Gaudi" were apparently giant beetle-like creatures even taller than the soldiers. Their bodies, colored almost completely brown, were full of ridges and plates that formed thick exoskeletons. A pair of large white eyes examined the three robots, giving Quote an odd sense of uncertainty. This particular Gaudi was clicking its mandibles as it sized them up.

"Three of you, huh? We haven't had this many visitors in a long time. Welcome to the Labyrinth anyway! What's your business here?"

The soldier could discern a masculine edge to its voice, but with an almost crooning tone. Whatever the case, he didn't seem wary or threatening to them.

 **"** **We're stuck and need to find the way out,"** Malco responded immediately. **"Can you point us in the right direction?"**

"Sure thing!" the Gaudi chirped. "Our village is right this way, follow me. The others will be excited to see you all. It's not every day that three robots from the war show up here."

Quote wanted to ask what he knew about the war, hoping for more answers, but the human-sized beetle had already scampered off on his hind legs.

 **"** **Wow, he's quick. Let's hurry after him, there's no time to lose!"**

As Malco ran in pursuit, Curly just laughed softly.

"I'm glad he's making friends. C'mon Quote, we'd better catch up with him."

* * *

Malco's attention wasn't _just_ on the Gaudi he was following through the (thankfully less cramped) tunnel. As he continued to navigate, his internal computer was busily sifting through its files like earlier in search of explanations for why he was on the floating island. He was looking for information on one thing in particular: the strange blue helmet worn by the Doctor, as Quote had described. The witch Jenka mentioned him being in possession of a powerful artifact, and Malco had a hunch that it was related to why Retrieval Team 9 had been sent there in the first place.

Soon enough, he uncovered a file that confirmed his suspicion. The image attached was a perfect match to what Quote had apparently seen. A recording from a voice that he recognized as one of the robots in Retrieval Team 9 filled in the details.

 ** _"_** ** _The Demon Crown. This priceless artifact, while unknown in origin, is theoretically the source of astounding power. As such, we are tasked with obtaining it for our creators. Multiple conflicts over its ownership have broken out in the past, and we are the ninth force to be sent to the floating island. Be advised; we may encounter heavy opposition… eliminate anyone in the way."_**

Very little other information regarding the so-called Demon Crown was available. He would have to keep looking through his files to find out more.

"Wait for us!" he heard Curly call from somewhere behind him.

In the excitement of finding a file at last he'd briefly forgotten about his two allies. Although he didn't stop altogether, he slowed down enough for them to catch up. Malco filled them both in on what he'd learned as they continued to follow the Gaudi.

"That's what robots like us were sent here to do a decade ago?" Quote asked, as if wanting confirmation.

 **"** **I believe so. From what I can recall, Team 9 was warned that Mimiga were heartless and bloodthirsty… we were encouraged to wipe them out at the first provocation as we searched for the Demon Crown."**

Malco noticed Curly looking rather downcast at the revelation. Given her good relations with the creatures, that was to be expected. Even Quote- who he realized was showing more emotion than usual- was visibly uncomfortable. The battle with that Mimiga earlier undoubtedly still troubled them.

 **"** **I may have** ** _some_** **consolation for the two of you. I've been looking through the list of robots I arrived with, and neither of you appear to be on it. It's possible that you were with a different group, or even sent here for an alternate purpose. I'll do my best to keep searching my memory banks."**

"Thanks, buddy," Curly said with a smile, apparently reassured for the moment. "Oh hey, is this the village that beetle guy mentioned?"

* * *

In hindsight, there wasn't much else it could have been. Quote looked over the enormous settlement (could it even be called a village?) and tried to count the number of Gaudi that were visible scurrying around between the crude metal buildings. He lost track after about thirty; they were _everywhere_.

The one Malco had encountered earlier paused as they approached, turning to face the robots.

"Well, here we are! If you're in need of supplies, there's a warehouse nearby where some soldiers from the surface left a bunch of stuff."

Quote's surprised look was apparently shared by his two companions, as the Gaudi looked between them curiously.

"What is it? Were you with them? I'm afraid they're not here anymore; they vanished years ago when I was just a hatchling. None of 'em have come back to get the gear they left behind, so you can take whatever you want. If it still works, anyway…"

Another of the beetle creatures suddenly darted toward them from one of the buildings, clicking its mandibles sharply. It came to a stop about ten feet away and sniffed at the air.

"Mimigas! I smell Mimigas! Where are they, Chaba?"

"Not here," their guide- evidently named Chaba- said with an exasperated sigh. "Give it a rest already; we haven't seen any of those in ages."

"Aw, but I'm STARVING! And they smell so good, too…"

As the second Gaudi walked off in disappointment, Quote noticed a look of horror on Curly's face. He suspected it was due to her relationship with Mimigas rather than the comment about her smelling like them… though if it had been the latter, somehow he wouldn't be surprised.

"W-wait a minute! You guys _eat_ them?!"

Chaba tilted his head slightly.

"Well, we Gaudi eat a lot of stuff. When you stay in the Labyrinth as long as we have, you get used to taking what you can get. Most of our diet consists of plants and things like that."

"But," the blonde sputtered, "but they're so innocent and harmless! How could you think of them as food?"

"Look, lady. We couldn't choose what we evolved to hunt, even if we are omnivores. Besides, didn't you soldiers fight them during the war way back?"

Chaba's reply effectively shut her up, and she looked down at the floor sadly. He pointed behind him toward a building that had a large "9" painted on the side in faded red.

"There's the warehouse, if you want to check out the equipment."

 **"** **Thank you,"** Malco said as the Gaudi walked away. He turned to face Quote and Curly (who, thankfully, appeared to have gotten over her brief depression).

 **"** **They seem like nice creatures, all things considered. I'll see what I can find to equip ourselves with. Why don't you two explore the village? Maybe one of these Gaudi knows how to get out of here."**

Before either of them could respond, he ran off toward the warehouse.

"Always on the move," Quote muttered.


	25. Gaudi

Chapter 25: Gaudi

Malco had chosen to personally visit the warehouse for two reasons. One, because he felt that his programming would allow him to easily determine what was or was not worth bringing along in their inventory. Two, because he was anxious to find out if Retrieval Team 9 had left any information behind that might help him learn more about his companions. While he was mostly satisfied with what he'd uncovered regarding himself, their identities were still shrouded in mystery. Malco, by that point, had sifted through enough files to confirm that Quote and Curly weren't listed among the members of Team 9- or, it seemed, _any_ of the scout forces that had been sent to the island. They were undeniably soldiers, so what was their purpose if they hadn't accompanied the other robots to retrieve the Demon Crown?

Speaking of which… the thought had crossed his mind at least once that he could potentially be acting against his orders during the war. After all, hadn't their mission been to retrieve the crown for mankind? The Doctor, from what he could tell based on Quote's description, was certainly a human, so had Team 9 succeeded in the end? Malco wondered if his ultimate goal would be to turn against his two fellow robots as they tried to defeat the Demon Crown's owner.

 ** _"_** ** _No, that's ridiculous,"_** he thought. **_"They've been kind to me so far, and I wouldn't want to attack them at all."_**

It was also possible that the Doctor wasn't even his master. Another recent scan of his memory banks revealed that Team 9 was sent to the island on behalf of a man by the name of Miakido. While Malco had never personally met him, he remembered enough to tell that he wasn't a doctor of any kind. Of course, ten years was a long time… he could have become one after the war had ended. Nobody seemed to know what the Doctor's real name was, either.

He pushed those thoughts aside to better focus on the present. Reflecting too much would only distract him from helping Quote and Curly, and until someone with genuine authority over him commanded otherwise he was on their side.

"Hey there, robo-man!" a Gaudi outside the warehouse said casually. "I saw you talking to Chaba before. Need some supplies on your way out?"

 **"** **How do you know we're leaving?"**

The beetle-like creature gave an odd clicking sound that might have been a laugh.

"I can't imagine why three surface robots would want to stay down here. You probably have important stuff to take care of elsewhere."

 **"** **You're right about that… except we're not sure how to leave. In fact, none of us know much about where we even are."**

Nodding her (at least, something suggested to Malco that it was a female even though they all looked identical) head rapidly, the Gaudi gestured for him to follow her into the warehouse.

"I'll tell you everything you need to know while you look over the equipment."

* * *

Conveniently, Quote was _also_ obtaining information at that time. He and Curly hadn't gone far into the village before being set upon by several excited Gaudi all at once. The robots weren't asked many questions about themselves, strangely. Rather, they were on the receiving end of a barrage of random facts about the Labyrinth. It was as if the giant insects would talk to anyone, at any time, for any purpose. As he tried to take in the jumbled speech from about seven different sources, he wondered if most of the Gaudi were merely talking to themselves.

Well, eight sources if one counted Curly among them.

It astounded him just how quickly she'd gotten used to the mess of a conversation. She rambled on and on with the creatures cheerfully, as if she'd lived with them for weeks by then. The more she talked, the less she seemed to care that Gaudi once ate Mimiga- though it likely hadn't escaped her mind quite yet. Nevertheless, she was chattier than she'd ever been since they met in the Sand Zone.

How long ago was that, anyway? Time passed in something of a blur to Quote, as he'd gone through so much already. He couldn't have known his two fellow robots for more than a day in total, yet he felt like they'd been together for as long as he could remember (which wasn't entirely inaccurate). Malco had given him a curious but pleasant sense of companionship by monitoring him, and Curly… well…

"Hey Quote, are you paying attention? They're trying to tell us how to escape."

With a surprised jolt, he realized that the Gaudi had all fallen silent and were staring at him. The soldier awkwardly cleared his throat (or the robotic equivalent) and focused on the one Curly was pointing to.

"Sorry. What was that?"

"Like I was saying," the beetle-like creature continued without even sounding annoyed, "way at the end of this tunnel there's a huge boulder blocking the way forward. If you can move it, you should be able to find a way out somewhere up ahead."

"Be careful, though!" another Gaudi cut in immediately. "Our neighbors past the boulder are pretty violent towards anyone who comes too close. That's why they blocked the tunnel in the first place."

"That old witch told us they're guarding something important," said a third. "Whatever it is, it's keeping this island afloat, so make sure you don't disturb it on your way out."

Quote stared at the last one to speak in surprise.

"Old witch? You mean Jenka?"

"Is that her name? She hasn't been around for such a long time that most of us forgot it. But she's the one who tunneled out the Labyrinth and put us Gaudi down here."

He looked back in the direction of the warehouse.

"What about the soldiers from the surface? Where'd they go?"

Suddenly he almost wished he hadn't asked that. All seven of the giant insects responded with the same energy as before. Amidst the endless chattering, the most he was able to pick up was that Retrieval Team 9 had come through during the war a decade earlier and briefly set up a camp in the village, but disappeared after passing the spot where the large boulder currently was.

At his side, Curly was thanking each of the Gaudi for their help. Quote followed her out of the crowd, which waved to them happily.

"I think I still prefer Mimiga," she said once they were a good distance away, "but these guys are pretty nice too once you get to know 'em."

"Yeah, they're even bubblier than you are."

"Hey!" Curly replied, though not actually seeming offended. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Heh… nothing."

* * *

"That's quite a lot of stuff, can you really carry it all?"

Malco, to be honest, was wondering the same thing as the Gaudi he'd been talking to. He had gathered several rounds to reload Quote's missile launcher, an advanced targeting attachment to improve the weapon itself, and an upgrade for Curly's machine gun. Nothing else in the warehouse was particularly useful for any of them, and by his analysis it seemed that he'd chosen the optimal assortment of items to help the group. Of course, somewhere along the way he forgot to take into account how easily one non-soldier robot could move all of it.

Not easily at all, clearly.

 **"** **O-of course I can, this is nothing!"** he attempted to reassure her as he stumbled toward the warehouse door. **"Thank you for the information, I'll be sure to fill my companions in."**

"Don't mention it. Oh yeah, one more thing! There's this huge machine left behind by the soldiers past the village. We can't figure out what it does, but maybe you guys will have better luck."

Malco nodded gratefully and stepped outside to find the others. The sooner he could stop hauling all of this equipment around, the better.

* * *

In hindsight, Curly realized, she'd been doing most of the talking as they traversed the Gaudi village. Quote was usually silent whenever one of the creatures would come up to them, which seemed ironic considering his name. However, when they were alone she found him to be more talkative. He laughed at the occasional jokes she would tell (even if they were mostly about Mimiga) and made several attempts of reasonable success to tell his own. Was he just socially anxious under his less-than-emotional shell? She didn't know if it was possible for robots.

"What do you think the outside of the island is like?" Quote asked at some point during the walk. It was a question that she herself hadn't even thought about much during her time awake, so she was taken aback by it.

Of course, that didn't make her any less enthusiastic.

"Well! I can't say for sure how high up in the air we are, but maybe we're right among the clouds! I bet there's a bright sky all around us _right now,_ with a lot of warm sunshine beaming down. Have you ever wondered what it feels like to be in a cloud? Do you think it's soft to the touch, or maybe-"

Curly stopped herself abruptly, realizing that she was rambling again. Quote didn't appear to mind, like normal, but she hadn't meant to monopolize the discussion.

"Whoops… sorry about that!"

"It's alright. I noticed something strange, though: while you were describing that, I almost felt like I could see it too. Neither of us have seen the outside of the island, and yet we can understand concepts like the sun, sky, and clouds."

She crossed her arms thoughtfully.

"I guess it is weird when you put it like that. Maybe it's buried somewhere in our memories, so we remember just enough to get an idea. Still, I'd love to see it for myself once this is all over."

"Me too," Quote said in reply. "I assume you'll be bringing the Colons with you?"

She gave him a wink.

"You know me so well. Hey, you're welcome to join us. The more the merrier, right? I'm sure Malco would like to come too."

 **"** **Why yes, I would!"**

Both soldiers jumped in astonishment at the sound of his voice behind them. The third robot was trotting along a few yards away, carrying their supplies in one large heap. It was clanking quite a bit; how had they failed to hear him approaching?

"How long have you been there?" Curly asked, still recovering from the surprise.

 **"** **Four minutes and fifty-four seconds... fifty-five… fifty-six… It took me some time to catch up, so I apologize for being late. I must say, not looking through both your eyes and getting to see things for myself is quite refreshing."**

At her side, Quote frowned.

"Five minutes of you not saying anything? I don't believe it."

 **"** **I didn't want to interrupt the conversation. Besides…"**

Malco was giving him an odd, almost teasing look.

 **"** **Maybe it is common for me to speak a lot. I was programmed that way, it seems. But it ISN'T common for you to have so much to say, Quote. Nobody else has gotten something like attempts at** ** _humor_** **out of you! Curly, what's your secret?"**

She couldn't help but crack a smile in his direction. At the same time, though, it was strange to think that she was the first person to elicit such behavior from the other soldier.

"…I guess I'm just rubbing off on him?"

Quote was determinedly ignoring both of them, which only caused the other robots to become more amused. Eventually, however, all three of them found their attention focused on something unlike anything they'd seen so far- which was saying a lot after going through a village of beetles the size of them.

Behind Curly, Malco was muttering something.

 **"** **Is this what that Gaudi was talking about? It's… a tank! A tank from Team 9!"**


	26. Barricade

Chapter 26: Barricade

Quote barely even had a moment to look at the "tank" before Malco stuffed the items he'd been carrying into his arms and ran up to inspect it. He took the time to reload his missile launcher with the rounds provided and fiddled around with the "Mk. 2" attachment until the weapon had been upgraded. Now, if the message relayed by a screen on the device indicated was true, it could target multiple enemies at once, fire up to three missiles simultaneously, and even had a homing mechanism. Curly whistled, just as impressed with it as he was.

He looked at the last item Malco had given him. Like the enhancement to his missile launcher, it was a device that appeared to plug into a weapon. However, the bright red box (which had "Snake Rifle" printed on its side) didn't fit into any of the guns he carried, and there was no way it could be applied to King's sword. Quote stared blankly at it for a moment, then its vibrant color gave him an idea. It matched the paint job on Curly's weapon perfectly.

"Hey, can you put this in your gun? I think it was meant for that."

Shrugging her shoulders, she did as asked. The attachment fit perfectly into a slot on the side of her machine gun, which made a slight whirring sound as it updated itself.

"Wonder what this thing does. Did Malco tell you?"

"No, he dumped all this stuff with me and ran off to look at the tank,"

Curly chuckled.

"Can't say I blame him. C'mon, let's go check it out."

The enormous vehicle was shaped like an X, with four metallic arms connecting the treads to the cavern floor and ceiling. Its boxy, orange center had multiple ridges and small openings in its exterior shell, with one large hole having been blasted open in the hull. Small cannons lined the sides of the core, each pointing outwards. Almost every part of the tank was heavily rusted or damaged, presumably having not been used in years.

 **"** **Amazing! I remember seeing a file on this a few hours ago. It's called the Tunnel Prowler, and it was apparently used for various demolitions during the war."**

Malco's voice came from the other side of the tank, as he was busily examining an exposed circuit board.

 **"** **It doesn't look like it's moved** ** _since_** **the war, and it's pretty beat-up, but if I can manage to reactivate it then we may be able to put this thing to good use. Who knows? Maybe it has enough firepower to destroy the boulder obstructing our exit!"**

Quote looked further down the tunnel, where- sure enough- the way forward was blocked. The enormous rock was twice his height and at least five times wider than him.

"Couldn't I just blow it up with the missile launcher?"

"Aw, where's your sense of fun?" Curly asked. "There's a tank here, so we should use it. We can't just pass up a chance like this!"

 **"** **In the interest of time, you can give it a try if you wish."**

Stepping closer to it, he knelt down and took aim. The boulder looked like it had weathered countless attempts to be moved, but that didn't deter him. Quote pulled the trigger, releasing a missile that violently exploded on contact with his target. To his frustration, once the smoke cleared it was obvious that he'd failed to destroy the rock, or even scratch it for that matter.

"What's this thing even made of?!"

Malco, from behind the tank, gave a disappointed sigh.

 **"** **It seems this vehicle is completely inoperable. That's a shame, I was hoping we'd be able to use it… oh well."**

He rejoined the two soldiers, staring up at the obstruction in the tunnel.

 **"** **You failed to destroy it? Strange that it hasn't suffered any damage whatsoever."**

"We could try pushing it out of the way," Curly suggested. "Let's move to the right of it and just shove as hard as we can."

Quote nodded silently, unable to think of an idea of his own. The three robots positioned themselves beside the boulder and placed their hands on it.

 **"** **Ready? PUSH!"** Malco cried.

The small tunnel was quickly filled by the sound of them straining to push aside the rock. Even with three people using all of the force they could, it didn't budge in the slightest. The only thing they were moving was the gravel and dirt beneath their feet. Before long they had given up their efforts, as it was far too heavy for them.

Curly panted hard.

"Well, that didn't work. Now what should we do?"

Malco gave an alerted beep and looked toward the ceiling.

 **"** **Get ready for trouble, it seems. I'm detecting Balrog nearby!"**

Quote drew Polar Star from its holster in a flash as the suitcase-shaped entity crashed through the roof of the tunnel and landed a few yards away, just in front of the tank they'd been inspecting.

"There you are! I was wondering where Misery had sent you two… hey, since when did you have a third friend?"

He and Malco stared at each other, both with unfeeling expressions.

"Hold the phone," Balrog continued, "I know you. You were in the Bushlands earlier, right? You stabbed me in the back. Pretty gutsy if I do say so myself!"

Quote was growing tired of his nonchalant behavior and aimed Polar Star squarely at his large face. To his shock, Curly didn't react similarly. In fact, she was smiling eagerly at their foe.

"Balrog, you're just the person we need! This boulder's in our way, wanna help us move it?"

Both of the other robots as well as the Doctor's minion stared at her in disbelief.

"Curly, you can't really be asking him for help!" Quote exclaimed.

"For once I agree with soldier boy. Did you forget that we're supposed to be enemies when I hit you on the head?"

She didn't appear angry with Balrog at all.

"I'm aware of that. But if you're stuck down here too, then you'll have to leave this way at some point, and that means moving the boulder. Why not just help us escape in the meantime?"

He frowned at her.

"I can't just disobey the master. Misery and I are bound to his will whether we like it or not, and between you and me I _don't_ like it. But there's nothing I can do. Besides, I can tunnel my way out of here through the ceiling, where none of you can climb."

Malco spoke up at last.

 **"** **This may not be my area of expertise, but I suspect you don't really want to fight us. If it is any compromise, you can move the boulder on your own accord and pretend we never met."**

Balrog's frown evened out until his perfectly blank expression- which, Quote realized, bore an odd similarity to his own- returned.

 **"** **If you DO wish to fight, your odds against the three of us aren't good."**

"…"

He lumbered past them to the boulder and, with a mighty grunt, shoved it aside easily. The effort didn't appear to cause him any strain whatsoever.

"I didn't see you, understand? Just be ready… if we meet again, I may not be able to show you mercy. I wish it didn't have to be like this."

Curly didn't look fazed at all, and just gave him a thumbs-up.

"We won't tell a soul. Thanks so much!"

Giving Quote one last glance, Balrog leaped up and vanished through the hole he'd arrived in. The three robots were alone again, looking into the tunnels beyond where the boulder had just been.

"You know… maybe he isn't such a bad guy after all," Curly remarked. "He's done terrible things, but if he's telling the truth then he didn't have a say in any of it. The Doctor is the one at fault here."

Malco nodded.

 **"** **All the more reason to bring him to justice. Now, those Gaudi said there is a nest of their violent neighbors up ahead. Are we ready to face them?"**

"Locked and loaded," Quote replied shortly.

 **"** **Excellent. Let's move out!"**


	27. Fight as One

Chapter 27: Fight as One

Curly took the lead, charging into the cavern with an excited cheer. She couldn't wait to test out the upgrade Malco had gotten for her gun, and was so eager to do so that she got quite a ways ahead of her friends before realizing it. The soldier sheepishly rubbed behind her head with an apologetic smile as they finally caught up, both holding their own weapons.

"You're lucky you didn't disturb anything just now," Quote flatly remarked.

 **"** **I have to agree with him. What if you were ambushed without backup?"**

"Heh heh… sorry, I guess I got a little carried away. But I'm fine, see? Nothing to worry about."

They stayed together after that, advancing through the tunnel at a slower pace and keeping their eyes peeled for anything that might be awaiting them. Just before the wait started to get boring, Curly noticed a purple blob-like creature creeping toward them with an empty look on its face. She raised her machine gun, not sure what to make of the thing. It definitely wasn't a Gaudi, but it looked so harmless… that is, until its mouth opened to reveal several rows of sharp teeth. More creatures like it were popping out from holes in the ground, all snarling at the intruders.

She just smirked and cast a glance at her allies, ready for action.

* * *

 **"** **Critters,"** Malco commented, **"but not like the ones in the Bushlands. These are exerting a far stronger magical energy."**

Quote was hardly fazed. With the Polar Star in one hand and King's sword in the other, he moved ahead to engage them first. He fired off a few shots at the closest Critter, which didn't respond much and lunged at him. Acting quickly, the soldier slashed down on it with the sword. His swing was rather unimpressive, as he'd never used such a weapon before, but it was enough to cut straight through the monster's tough hide and put it down. Its cohorts charged forwards, only to fall as a line of yellow-tinted bullets came from behind Quote and wiped them out.

Looking back, he saw Curly staring at her rifle in amazement. The attachment Malco had found hummed lightly in the side of her gun.

"Whoa, I didn't think it would be this strong," she said aloud.

 **"** **I wanted to surprise you, so I didn't say anything. The Snake sacrifices the rate of fire a bit in exchange for much stronger shots. It also practically eliminates the rifle's cool-down period, so go all out with it!"**

* * *

Malco stayed in the rear of the group this time, as he was the least armed and not built for combat anyway. He looked on in fascination as his two companions forged ahead through the Labyrinth, working with impressive coordination to deal with any incoming threats. Both soldiers blasted their way through the various monsters attacking them easily, but despite their performance Malco still found ways to contribute. His energy analysis kept the trio constantly updated on their surroundings, which came in handy on several occasions where Critters attempted to ambush them.

He didn't like to brag (well, maybe a little), but Malco found that when he was required to fight off an enemy that had gotten too close he displayed a respectable level of skill with his Fireball handgun. The few Critters that had made it past Quote and Curly didn't last much longer than that, as he would incinerate them with the scorching projectiles his weapon unleashed.

 **"** **Aha! Another one down!"**

What he found most interesting was how well the two soldiers worked in tandem. They appeared to perfectly cover each other's backs and could react to just about anything at a moment's notice. Neither soldier often strayed more than a few yards away from the other as they forged ahead. It was as if, somehow, they'd formed a mental connection and could work in perfect unison.

They may not have been part of Malco's unit, but wherever they were from their creators had done a fine job in his opinion.

* * *

Quote sheathed King's sword and switched to wielding Bubbline alongside Polar Star. Double-checking to ensure that no more enemies were around, he looked back at Curly as she finished off the most recent Critter horde.

"Done! How many did you get?"

"I think twelve," he replied, "you?"

She gave a victory cheer.

"Sixteen! Looks like I win, buddy."

He couldn't help but grin at how ecstatic she looked. It was strange; for all that was at stake, Quote was enjoying himself at the moment. Maybe his programming as a soldier was the reason, but going through the Labyrinth alongside Curly and Malco felt oddly satisfying to him.

Still, he had to wonder how Sue, Kazuma, and Booster were doing back in Mimiga Village. They must have expected him and King to return already… did they know what had happened? Were they still safe? It troubled him endlessly.

"Quote, you awake? You're spacing out again."

He snapped his head up to show he was still alert, only to see Curly giggling softly at him.

"What's on your mind?"

"I was supposed to return from the Sand Zone a while ago. I'm wondering if the others I told you about are okay."

Her smile disappeared, and she solemnly looked down at the floor.

"I'm worried too, Quote… I've been worrying for the safety of the Colons all this time…"

Suddenly he felt bad for discouraging her. The tunnel went silent as all three robots trudged along with their respective troubles.

Silent, that is, until Malco chimed in.

 **"** **Chin up, friends. Our situation may be dire, but moping in this dark cavern won't solve it. If we stay motivated we'll all succeed in the end. I'm sure of it."**

Quote admittedly felt better after hearing that. In such a trying time, it was comforting to have support in the form of his two allies.

 **"** **Of course, at this rate our current odds of victory are-"**

"Maybe we don't need hear that," Curly remarked. "Let's just keep moving."

Giving both of them a confident nod, Quote marched onwards in higher spirits. He hadn't gone far before a new kind of enemy appeared to face them. The robots were being stared down by Gaudi of a blue-tinted variety, evidently the "neighbors" they were warned about earlier. Clicking their mandibles angrily, about ten of the large roaches positioned themselves to block the way forwards and even pointed stone weapons at them. More could be seen crawling out from behind the remains of heavily rusted metal structures; this too had evidently once been a camp during the war.

He wasn't deterred. The soldier held Polar Star and Bubbline at the ready, while his companions already had their respective machine gun and Fireball pointed back at the Gaudi.

"How about it, Curly?" he said with a smirk. "There's a lot of them… more than enough for the two of us. I still need to get you back for the Critters."

Quote watched as she grinned back at him confidently.

"It's on!"

* * *

It was possibly the most inopportune time to consider it, but Curly found herself wondering what would happen once this was all over.

Their goal was still clear: defeat the Doctor and prevent a repeat of the disastrous war a decade earlier. That was straightforward enough, even if they were zigzagging through an endless series of caves to do so. But after that… what was left for them?

She leaped clear over a small group of the hostile Gaudi and fired down at them, dispatching several immediately. Those left over attempted to give chase, but from somewhere to the side Malco finished them off with his Fireball handgun.

Malco… he continued to express his excitement at finding the other robots he'd arrived on the island with, and not even coming across the countless ruins of their former base camps seemed to make him any less enthusiastic. Curly didn't want to dampen his mood, but the further they went the more convinced she became that he was- for all intents and purposes- the last survivor of Retrieval Team 9. What would he do after their mission was complete?

Her train of thought was momentarily disrupted when a Gaudi managed to literally get the jump on her. It pounced onto her back, biting at her false hair with its mandibles and pinching at any skin it could reach. She hissed in pain and tried to throw it off, but the irksome bug held fast in its grip. Just as she was considering smashing her back into a wall, she felt the Gaudi suddenly let go of her and fall off. A look over the shoulder revealed why: Quote had shot it in the head. He gave her a brief thumbs-up before returning to his own fight.

Quote… he had nothing to return to, didn't he? Curly still had the Colons- once they were rescued she could go back to living with them, and possibly even more Mimiga- yet he seemed to be in this just to "do the right thing." It was admirable to put so much on the line despite no personal benefit, without a doubt, but when that was taken care of he had nowhere to go. From what he'd explained to her earlier, not a soul knew who he was or where he came from. He was nobody.

"Not to me, he's not…"

She paused. Had she said that out loud in her deep thought? A quick glance around showed that neither of her friends had overheard, and instead were continuing to press onward. Curly, for some reason she couldn't explain, felt as if she would've been hugely embarrassed if one of them had caught what she said. Shaking it off, she ran after them and rejoined the fray.

* * *

Quote had taken to running along the top of a rusted-out building which matched the new color of the surrounding tunnel. Being surrounded by a warm red as opposed to dusty brown was a welcome change of scenery, but he had to admit he was beginning to get tired of that tunnel. Malco, sadly, couldn't predict how far the exit was.

He holstered Polar Star and wrung his right hand for a moment. The pistol was still serving him well, but his trigger finger needed a break from it. Reaching to his waist, Quote drew King's sword once again and slashed through more Gaudi attempting to attack from behind.

"Hey, I'm at twenty-three!" he heard Curly shout from the opposite side of the abandoned camp, having copied his idea of staying on higher ground. "What about you?"

"I'm not telling you!" the soldier called back, shooting through another cluster of the roaches with Bubbline.

"Aw, why not? Am I beating you again?"

"You don't need to know that yet. Focus on the fight at hand!"

Twenty-three… she _was_ beating him. He needed to pick up the pace. Quote spun on his heels and took down his eighteenth enemy by ramming the hilt of the sword into its head.

Inwardly, he felt bad about having to kill these Gaudi. Even if they were hostile and unwelcoming, they still closely resembled the ones they'd befriended earlier. He forcibly reminded himself of the distinction between the two groups, which at least diminished his guilt.

As much as he was enjoying their romp through the Labyrinth, he could only hope that the others in Mimiga Village were doing well on their own. The situation at hand couldn't be taken lightly, no matter how good the company was.


	28. The Labyrinth's End

Chapter 28: The Labyrinth's End

Malco remained in the center of the trail as they fought through the abandoned camp. He defended himself with the Fireball whenever necessary, but such occasions were rare given how efficiently the two soldiers had been fighting. At long last, the end of the camp was in sight. The remaining hostile Gaudi had either been killed or finally decided to retreat, and the three robots found themselves at an ancient-looking steel bridge extending across a massive body of gently-flowing water.

Behind him, he heard the others approaching while putting their weapons away.

"Final score: thirty-one," Curly boasted.

Quote made a strange metallic rasp that Malco took a moment to recognize as a laugh- such an expressive noise coming from him was unusual at best.

"Forty! Looks like I win that round."

"Really? Shoot, I need to try harder next time."

The male soldier could be heard grunting in affirmation, then stood beside Malco and looked out over the subterranean lake.

"Where are we…? Is there a way out of the Labyrinth across this bridge?"

 **"** **I can't say… I have no map of this area."**

He turned to face the last decrepit building in the camp: a dome-shaped structure with small antennae protruding from the top. Malco let out an excited beep when he realized what it was after quickly perusing his memory banks. Running toward it, he cheered loudly.

 **"** **This is Team 9's mobile command post! It should include- let's see…"**

Thankfully, the door wasn't too rusty to open. He entered to confirm his suspicions about what the building held. Sure enough, behind the ruins of various electronic devices and discarded weapons sat a cylindrical device big enough to fit a person. A teleporter, just as he'd hoped. The glass tube connecting both ends was extremely dusty and covered with grime, but fortunately it wasn't broken.

 **"** **Yes! It even has an emergency power reserve! I should be able to get this operating again, and then we'll have our way back to Mimiga Village!"**

Quote and Curly had entered alongside him, inspecting the old teleporter.

"You really think this'll work?" the latter soldier asked hesitantly.

 **"** **Without a doubt! It** ** _will_** **take me some time to calibrate the destination coordinates, but other than that we're in good shape."**

Malco's sharp fingers went to work immediately, rattling away on the machine's keypad. The sound of it humming back to life was music to his audio receptors.

 **"** **I can take care of this. In the meantime, why don't you two search past the lake? There might be another way out across the bridge. I'll stay in contact with you in case either of us succeeds first."**

With a few last words of encouragement, the soldiers exited the command post together and left him alone with the teleporter. Things really were looking up.

* * *

While Malco worked on their way out, Quote returned to the edge of the tunnel where the lake began. On the opposite bank loomed an enormous wall of pitch-black carved stone. There was a rotting wooden door in the center, which did little to distract from how strangely ominous the wall seemed. He looked down uncertainly at the equally dark water- which he couldn't see the bottom of- and at the rickety metal bridge leading across it.

"This doesn't look very stable…" he muttered.

"Aw, lighten up," Curly said. "We'll be fine."

Quote frowned.

"Maybe _you_ will. You have that air bubble tank in case you fall in."

Her grin faded slightly.

"Good point… let's just be real careful. It's not that far of a walk."

He took the lead, lightly stepping onto the bridge and beginning the trek across. With each step he swore he could feel it creaking and groaning under his weight, and having Curly not far behind wasn't comforting in the slightest this time.

"Hey, Quote? Can I ask you something?"

The soldier took another careful step forward. It wasn't the best time to have a conversation, but he supposed there was nothing else going on anyway.

"What is it?"

"When all this is over, what are you going to do?"

Something about the tone of her voice indicated that she'd been sitting on that question for a while.

"I… haven't considered it yet. Right now, stopping the Doctor is the important part."

"Well, yeah. But after that, where will you go?"

Truthfully, Quote had no idea. He didn't say anything in response and continued to walk, hoping that would be the end of the discussion so they could focus on the present. Curly wasn't finished, however.

"If you don't have anywhere to go, you can… well, I think the Colons wouldn't mind if we had some more company…"

This time he stopped short, causing her to almost run into him from behind. He looked back at her to find that- surprisingly- her face was slightly flushed.

"Are you… asking me to live with you?"

Curly's eyes widened and she gave him a meek smile.

"I-I just thought you'd like having somewhere to stay after we're done! I have a home to go back to, but you and Malco are kind of on your own in that regard. And, well, I don't like the idea of you two being all by yourselves, y'know?"

Quote thought it over. He'd been so determined to stop the Doctor and save the Mimigas that he failed to consider that he really _did_ have nothing waiting for him afterwards. Sue had mentioned letting him escape with her, Kazuma, and Booster, but now that he'd failed to destroy the Demon Flowers merely leaving the floating island wasn't an option. He felt obligated to see this through to the end, but Curly was right. There was nowhere for him to return to.

Nowhere, that is, except…

"I think that's a great idea. I'd be happy to stay with you and the Colons. Malco too, I assume?"

"Oh yeah, definitely! I'm sure he'd like coming with us."

He turned around to continue walking, but not without seeing the wide smile plastered on Curly's (still faintly red) face. It wasn't hard to tell how happy she was to hear his answer. And now, with the creaking of the bridge no longer bothering him, Quote shared her smile.

* * *

Curly couldn't explain why, but she was just as overjoyed as her partner thought. Her excitement to stay with Quote and Malco couldn't be put into words. It was strange, because they hadn't known each other for all that long and yet she wholeheartedly trusted the two.

Once they finally reached the end of the bridge and hopped off onto the mud, she tapped at the green receptor antenna on the right side of her head.

"Malco? Can you hear me?"

 **"** **Loud and clear, Curly. How are you two doing?"**

She stepped out of the mud and onto a more stable area of rocky floor. The enormous black wall was right before their eyes, and the rotted door not far away.

"We made it across the bridge without it collapsing and sending us to a watery doom. I'd say pretty well."

 **"** **That's the furthest you've gotten? I could most likely wave to you from here if I stepped outside…"**

"There's a wall in here," Quote interjected with his own antenna. "It looks out of place amidst the rest of Team 9's camp. Do you know what's behind it?"

 **"** **Unfortunately, no. You'll have to inspect it yourself. Progress on the teleporter is slow, so there's still time for you to have a look around."**

Curly wasn't about to waste the chance to explore. She strolled casually up to the door and grabbed the handle, upon which the entire thing collapsed into a pile of decaying wood. Quote, moving to stand by her side, peered into the room behind the black wall with Polar Star drawn. He stepped inside and swiftly disappeared into the darkness. Not wanting to be left in the dust, she followed close behind him.

"Are we still in the Labyrinth?" she asked quietly as her eyes adjusted to the dark.

It certainly didn't appear so. Their surroundings had gone from rust-colored to a dark navy blue, and the air felt much cooler. This room had an even more industrial feel to it, as there were fewer rocky surfaces and more metal panels along the walls, floor, and ceiling. Water gently pooled around their ankles. A steel door- surprisingly not corroded- stood on the opposite end of the cramped room, but aside from that nothing of interest could be seen.

"Guess we just need to keep moving forward," Curly said after a moment of silence. She trudged through the shallow water and yanked the door open, wondering what it was concealing.

The answer to that was another hallway, one much narrower and with an even lower ceiling. Dark gray panels and grated floors lined the corridor, with very dim red lights illuminating the way forward. Curly's footsteps echoed all around her, blending in with the faint sound of flowing water and a monotonous hum emanating from somewhere up ahead. Just in front of her was some kind of blast door, tightly closed with a smooth surface to prevent it from being pulled open. To the side was a small computer terminal. Despite the area seeming abandoned, the screen flickered to life.

"This is a strange place," Quote remarked as he entered behind her.

"I'll say. Maybe it was a base during the war."

Their antennae briefly hummed as Malco connected to them again.

 **"** **Update: this teleporter is more run-down than I thought. I can still repair it, but it'll take a bit longer. How are you two faring?"**

Curly gave the blast door a knock. It was apparently so thick that the sound hardly even echoed.

"We're past the wall across that bridge. This is a compound of some kind, but I don't know what it's for."

 **"** **Hm… I've found nothing in this camp that can indicate what's beyond your position. Feel free to investigate if you wish, but be careful. I'm detecting a powerful magic force resonating deeper inside…"**

She jumped back in alarm when the door made a sudden clanking noise. The sound of gears grinding against one another could be heard, and the shutter began to rise into a slot in the ceiling. It didn't take long to realize what had happened; Quote was standing at the computer terminal with his finger still on a button.

"That was easy enough. Can you see anything inside?"

The corridor was significantly darker behind where the door had once been. Curly kept a hand on her machine gun as she proceeded deeper, but nothing jumped out to attack. Instead, a second blast door stood in the way.

"There's another shutter in here. Can you open it?"

A swift keystroke could be heard, and just like before a new section of the hallway opened up. It was even darker than the last, but once again she could make out the gleam of yet another steel blast door.

"I wonder what's so important that it needs this much security… it's kind of exciting, don't you think? Hit that key again!"

* * *

Quote was beginning to have mixed feelings about going any further. He did share Curly's interest in finding out just what the compound was hiding, and there could have been an exit waiting for them, but something about the structure gave him the impression that it wasn't meant to keep anyone out. Instead, he suspected it was to keep something _in._

Nevertheless, he pressed the key to open the next blast door. Just waiting for Malco to finish with the teleporter didn't sit right with him if there was possibly a faster route back.

"I think it's stuck on something," he heard Curly say from further in the corridor. "Hold on, let me see if… there we go. It's open far enough for us to crawl underneath. Wow, there's a really big door here! Can you open it from that side?"

He looked over the computer terminal, but to no avail. There was no option for any further doors on the keyboard.

"Doesn't look like it," Quote shouted back.

"Hang on, there's a handle on the bottom. I think there's something stuck under the door too. Get in here, maybe we can pull it open together!"

There were no other options he could see, so he did as requested and moved to join her. He only then realized that Curly's build was much slimmer than his own, as he had a great deal more difficulty fitting under the stuck blast door than her. By the time he'd managed to squeeze himself through, she was outright giggling at his efforts.

"Geez, you took longer than I thought you would."

"Not everyone can fit under there as well as you," he protested.

"Maybe you just need to exercise more," Curly shot back with that grin of hers only widening. "Eat better, shave off some fat…"

Quote didn't give her the satisfaction of a response, and he thought he saw her sticking her tongue out at him from the corner of his eyes. The question of why robots like them even had tongues lingered in his mind for just a moment before he crouched down to grab the handle she'd mentioned. Curly did the same, and they pulled up as hard as they could on the blast door. Despite its tremendous weight, their combined strength was enough to raise it all the way up. A soft "click" indicated that it locked into place, and the corridor was clear at last.

"We make a good team," Curly said once they had finished pulling. "Up high!"

She held her hand out toward him with her fingers straight out and her palm exposed. Quote stared at it blankly, trying to process what she meant.

"Uh…"

"You don't know what this is?" she asked incredulously. "Just… never mind, let's keep moving."

The two soldiers walked through the open blast door, or at least tried to before almost tripping on what had been stuck underneath it. Quote's gaze seemed affixed to the crushed heap of wires, metal joints, and various other materials strewn across the floor before them. He could just make out a claw on the end of a rusted stick-looking appendage, and an odd lumpy shape with two broken antennae on either side of it. His eyes widened in shock when he realized he was looking at the miserable remains of a robot disturbingly like him and Curly, all alone in its demise.

No… not alone in the slightest. The scene before them was a good contender for the most unnerving sight they'd ever come across.


	29. Oppression

Chapter 29: Oppression

Curly didn't like to think of herself as a soldier. She had been built as one, and she was certainly a capable fighter when the need arose, but she tried her hardest not to fully identify with the concept. Knowing that she had most likely been a Mimiga-killer before losing her memory tormented her to no end, and only heightened her desire to be something- anything- other than what she'd been made for. Still, as she and Quote walked into the large chamber and stepped between the scrapped corpses of dozens upon dozens of soldier robots, she couldn't help but feel that some malicious force was out to get them personally.

Wreckage was thrown all over the tall, rectangle-shaped room. Rusted limbs, heads, and bodies with their false skin ragged and torn littered the dilapidated catwalks or floated gently in the water below- the bottom half of the chamber had flooded. More robotic body parts could be seen crushed under fallen rocks or metal support pillars, with some hands- whether or not they were still attached to their arms- clinging to broken guns.

Something had torn its way through these soldiers easily, and whatever it was could have still been there.

* * *

Quote was just as unsettled by the sight of so many dead robots, but his attention was on their surroundings. The room was extremely dark, with the walls being almost black in color and no light from anywhere other than dim red bulbs in sparse locations. Below the damaged catwalks, any light seemed to disappear entirely thanks to the murky water. Curly was the only thing he could clearly see in the chamber due to her vibrant blonde hair and pure white skin. Her eyes traced nervously over the wreckage and robot corpses.

"What happened here?" she asked aloud. "Was there a battle ten years ago?"

"That's what it seems like. I wonder what they were fighting… could it have been a rabid Mimiga?"

Curly shook her head.

"No. There's no way a Mimiga could have done this much damage, even with the red flowers."

 **"** **What are you two talking about?"** Quote heard a voice ask in his head. **"Let me connect to your photoreceptors and see with you."**

"Wait," he warned, "Maybe you shouldn't-"

It was too late. Malco could see the destruction through his and Curly's eyes, and judging by his unnatural silence it was anything but pleasant for him.

 **"** **What** ** _is_** **this?"** he finally said. **"Who could have done such a thing? So many soldiers… have they been here for the last ten years?"**

The three robots were quiet, all contemplating the same question but with no clear answer. After a while, Malco spoke up again.

 **"** **The teleporter is almost ready… you two should come back now. It doesn't seem like you can go any further."**

Quote wholeheartedly agreed. He turned back to the entrance and started toward it, eager to be out of there.

"Hold on," Curly said in an alarmed voice, "something's moving near you!"

On instinct, he whipped Polar Star out of its holster and visually searched the area for a possible enemy. He didn't find one, but he did see what she meant: one of the robots was slowly dragging itself along the adjacent catwalk inch by inch with a mangled hand. There was nothing left of it from the waist down, and one of its arms was also gone. All that remained of the soldier was charred dark gray save for a barely-visible red light in its eyes. Its outer layer of false skin had been blown off completely, revealing a horrifying skeleton of wires and metal rods. The robot appeared not to notice either of them until Curly rushed over to its side with a worried expression. Quote joined her, as it was in no condition to attack either of them.

 _"_ _R-r-reinforcements…?"_ it choked out in a raspy male voice, though its lower jaw was snapped off entirely. _"You are too late… our entire division has been wiped out. T-the enemy cannot be defeated with our current armaments… return to the surface and join the remainder of the army."_

Somehow, it was functional enough to recognize them both as fellow soldier robots. Quote looked at it with a growing sense of dread. Just what had happened?

 **"** **I can't believe he has been operational all this time,"** Malco remarked in a quiet voice. **"Perhaps he can tell us… what they were… fighting…"**

His voice died down in the receptors of the pair. It wasn't immediately clear why, but before long Quote suspected he'd found the answer. He'd been so focused on listening to the robot's speech that he hadn't noticed a small "9" printed on its left temple in faded red ink.

 _"_ _I-I-Inform the Malco-class units in Grove Outpost that Retrieval Team 9 has been terminated. For future operations, they are to be transferred to…"_

The damaged robot continued rambling while he and Curly shared a look of horror. Malco had gone completely silent, but a subtle humming sound in their heads indicated that he was still linked to them, and for the first time Quote found himself genuinely concerned for his well-being.

 _"…_ _and ensure that their mental stability is maintained. Excessive amounts of stress can cause their systems to go haywire, leading to potentially disastrous..."_

"Let's get back to him," the female soldier whispered. "I can't imagine how he's taking this."

He discreetly pointed down at the robot, unsure of what to do about it.

"We shouldn't just leave him here," Curly admitted. "Even if he was fighting against the Mimiga, abandoning him would be wrong. Quote, can you pick him up by-"

Her instruction was cut off when the entire chamber began to shake. Floodlights along the walls went online, nearly blinding the pair with the sudden illumination. Worse still, the final blast door slammed shut to trap them both. Without a handle on their side, they couldn't pull it open.

 _"_ _Alert! The enemy is aware of your presence! Evacuate the area immediately! Retreat! RETREAT!"_ the robot at their feet blared.

As the shaking worsened, Quote felt the platform he stood on coming loose. In a moment of blind panic he tackled Curly and dragged her back onto solid ground. He hadn't acted a moment too soon, as the catwalk crumbled apart and fell into the water below, bringing what was left of the damaged soldier with it.

 **"** **You need to get out of there!"** Malco shouted into their receptors, finally speaking again. **"There's an enormous magical force in the room! Hurry, you have-"**

The audio crackled and stopped altogether from some unknown interference. Quote helped Curly to her feet and looked around for another way out of their predicament. He couldn't see one, but with the floodlights on he _could_ see what was causing the chamber to rumble.

* * *

Back in the camp at the end of the Labyrinth, Malco had momentarily stopped working on the teleporter to take in everything that had just occurred.

Team 9… it was gone. All of the robots he had worked with ten years ago were destroyed or offline, with him as the only survivor. What purpose did he have now, if they were all gone?

Internally he realized that question was irrelevant. He could mourn his loss later, at that moment he needed to help the two robots that were still alive in the compound. Malco grabbed the Fireball and prepared to go after them, but paused in mid-step. He wasn't built for battle like they were, and against such a powerful enemy (whatever it was) he would only get in the way. Though it frustrated him to no end, he had to stay where he was and continue working on the teleporter. Once it was finished he could rush to their aid, and then the three could finally escape the Labyrinth.

 **"** **My friends… please be safe…"**

Within his inner computer, a subtle anger at their whole situation slowly began to build.

* * *

Curly gripped her machine gun tightly as something enormous pried itself free from the wall on the opposite end of the room. It was at least ten times her size, but describing it was difficult due to its bizarre appearance. The… _thing_ was shaped like an oval with large, wispy spikes protruding from the front. Its entire figure was covered in yellow-brown moss that seemed permanently affixed to it due to age. A wide hole shaped like an eerie smile was visible on the front of the creature, and inside countless pale blue eyes peered out at the soldiers. Their new enemy was surrounded by five smaller versions of itself which hovered defensively in front of its "face."

"We'll have to fight our way out of here," she said with a shaky but determined voice. "Doesn't matter how many soldiers this thing's destroyed, we still have people counting on us. You with me, Quote?"

"I am. Based on how those small ones are floating, I think its weak point is that patch of blue eyes."

The gigantic mossy creature emitted a low but powerful roar from somewhere on its body once it had broken free of the wall. Curly steeled herself for battle, not feeling confident in their odds but nevertheless ready to give it everything she had.

At her side, Quote was testing his theory by firing Polar Star at the beast's center. The first few shots slipped past the smaller creatures and struck the large one's eyes with impressive accuracy. However, the damage done appeared negligible; it was still slowly moving toward them. Moreover, the miniature beasts repositioned themselves to better protect their leader.

"Split up!" he said, running onto the scaffolding on the right side of the room. "If you can distract those small ones I'll be able to get a clear shot!"

Curly nodded and took the opposite path, standing on a stable enough catwalk. She opened fire on the creatures with her upgraded machine gun, aiming for the defenders to get their attention.

"C'mon, you… uh… stupid moss bags! I'm over here!"

They responded to her attack by scrunching themselves up before releasing a white blur of a projectile from each of their eyes. She just barely managed to dodge them, rolling aside and feeling their heat scrape past her. Jumping back to her feet, Curly shot at them once again to give Quote more time. The smaller beasts had evidently grown annoyed with her, as two of them began approaching while still returning fire.

 _"_ _At least they're further away from the main one… except now they're coming for me!"_

Once her machine gun needed a moment to cool down, she started to backpedal across the catwalk away from the aggressive orb-creatures. They pursued her slowly but relentlessly, and their energy shots were more accurate than she'd initially assumed. Two or three of them managed to strike her in the chest at the same time, knocking her to the ground with a searing pain. The attackers closed in on her, but stopped when a series of explosions rocked the chamber, followed by an enraged roar from the main beast.

* * *

Quote had put his partner's diversion to effective use, managing to go unnoticed by the defenders and reach a better vantage point. Settling into a kneeling position, he waited for all five of the small creatures to move away from their leader and unloaded every missile left in the launcher. He couldn't hold back a satisfied grin as he landed seven direct hits in the center of the large beast and listened to its roar of pain.

Unfortunately, that grin faded quickly when the ones protecting it realized where he was and turned to focus their energy shots on his position. Quote scrambled to his feet and leaped off the elevated platform he'd been standing on before the white-hot projectiles utterly demolished it. He landed on the catwalk just below, using Bubbline to rain more attacks on the largest creature.

 _"_ _What is this thing, anyway? It's like nothing we've ever seen…"_

He noticed Curly still holding her ground against the opposite wall, attempting to score a few hits of her own while the defenders were preoccupied with him. Quote noticed that they appeared to act as one for the most part and would focus all their attention on whoever attacked their leader. If that was the case, then he'd just found an easy solution to the fight. All he and Curly needed to do was alternate between distracting them and firing on the large creature. Sadly, he hadn't counted on the beast itself to begin attacking.

With another mighty roar, it unleashed a blast of white energy which was even bigger than its five defenders. Quote watched in horror as it exploded mere yards from where Curly was standing, destroying her platform and sending her plummeting towards the water with a startled cry. He didn't even have a chance to see if she was okay, as the six creatures had turned their full attention on him and sent a barrage of their projectiles his way.

If what Malco had said was correct, his partner's Air Tank should have activated once she became submerged. She would be safe in that regard, but he didn't know the extent of her injuries from that last attack. Quote weaved between more of the white-hot energy balls, grimly aware that if she couldn't make it back up to his position soon he might not be able to defeat their enemy.

* * *

Curly only felt the water around her for a moment before, as expected, the device implanted in her lower back formed an air bubble around her whole body. It also appeared to negate any liquid friction, allowing her to move freely without being hampered by the pressure. The only downside was that this lack of friction caused her to land much harder than she should have on the flooded chamber floor. Her entire body was stinging from the sudden energy blast she'd taken, and her back ached even more thanks to that landing, but from what she could tell her injuries weren't serious.

Gripping her weapon anxiously, she looked for a way back up to the arena. Even underwater she could still hear Quote's gunfire and the roars of the large creature, stressing the need to get into the fight again. Her eyes landed on a pile of sunken rubble which formed a hill leading toward the surface of the water.

 _"_ _I hope he's doing okay…"_

He wasn't, as another quake rocked the area and her partner suddenly fell into the water with her. Curly gasped in terror and ran for him instead while he struggled to swim. She gave him a hard tap on the shoulder and pointed to the hill.

"We can go back up this way. Hurry, before you get too much water in your body!"

Quote couldn't speak with his mouth tightly shut, but he nodded to show he understood and trudged after her. It pained her to watch him slowly fight his way through the water, holding his breath as much as he could. Curly had eventually gotten so nervous that by the time she'd made it up the hill she grabbed onto his waist and all but pushed him onto dry land. Water leaked from every small crevice on his parts, but at least he could breathe again.

The massive orb-shaped creature gave another roar, furious that they'd survived, and did the last thing she had expected: it stopped levitating and fell straight down into the flood with her. Curly didn't react fast enough to avoid the resulting enormous wave, which threw her high into the chamber.

Her panic as she began to plummet back down halted when she realized that she now had a clear shot at the beast's eyes. Its defenders had submerged with it, so there was nothing to stop her other than her own fall. Lining her sights up quickly, she rained down countless shots on the target's face. Perhaps by dumb luck, not a single one of them missed. Curly didn't have time to enjoy the agonized roaring, and instead tensed up in anticipation of her hard landing.

It didn't hurt as much as she thought it would when she finally collided with something solid. Her body was certainly feeling it, but somehow she'd managed not to snap any of her limbs in the fall. Of course, that was thanks to what had broken it.

"Ugh… are you okay…?"

Quote was on his back below her with his arms still grasping onto her body. She stared in bewilderment at the pained look on his face before realizing that he'd dropped all of his weapons and dove to catch her.

"O-oh, god! You didn't need to do that!" she sputtered.

"I'll be fine… we should move before that thing shoots at us again."

Curly got off of him gently and looked around. All five of the small beasts had stopped moving altogether, laying scattered around the chamber (with one even floating in the water below). The large one, meanwhile, had not risen from where it fell and was quivering violently. More incoherent growls and roars echoed from its body, but it wasn't attacking them anymore. In fact, its body sported a considerable amount of damage from their combined efforts.

"I think we did it!" she said with a sigh of relief. "We beat it, Quote!"

* * *

The male soldier sat up, groaning from the force of Curly having landed on him. Not that he was angry, he'd intentionally caught her and would do it again if he needed to. Still, it left a great deal of pain in his chest and arms.

"We won?"

Quote looked at the beast with her, noticing its bits of scorched moss and red, injured eyes.

"Heh… yeah, we did it!" he said with a more confident tone. Somehow, they'd managed to survive and avenge Malco's old team.

Curly helped him get to his feet, at which point an idea came to him. He extended his flat palm in the same way that she'd done earlier with a grin. While she gave him an odd look at first, she responded to the gesture by slapping her own hand against it and beamed at him. Quote didn't exactly understand the point of it, but seeing how happy she looked was worth it in his view.

The brief moment of triumph hardly lasted a minute. A familiar humming sound rang through the air above them, and he looked up with a grimace to see Misery emerging from a teleportation nearby. She was staring at the defeated creature with an enraged snarl.

"Aaargh! How did you manage to injure it?!"

Curly had noticed her as well and glared up at the witch.

"You! You're one of the Doctor's minions! The Colons had better be safe, you hear me?!"

"SHUT UP!" Misery almost screeched, now looking at her and Quote. "You're no mother, you're a stupid machine who almost killed them just now!"

He saw his ally freeze with a worried expression.

"What are you talking about?"

"Do you even know what this is?!" their enemy hissed, pointing at the recently-defeated creature. "It's the Core! If it's killed, this whole island will fall to the Earth below! Everyone here will _die_ , understand?!"

Thinking back, Quote remembered hearing a Gaudi mention something about not disturbing whatever was keeping the island afloat. He would have gone pale in the face if his skin was any less white as he realized the gravity of what they almost did. Neither he nor Curly responded, which led to the blue-haired witch's expression only growing more frustrated.

"You didn't even think about it, did you? You just barged in and shot everything you could see. This is why I HATE robots!"

The ring of a second teleportation sounded, and Quote looked above the damaged Core to see the very last person he wanted to meet again hovering as well. From his white coat to the ugly blue helmet he wore, there was no mistaking his identity.

The Doctor was back.


	30. The Demon Crown

Chapter 30: The Demon Crown

Malco's connection to the soldiers had been severed during their battle, and he had no indication of whether or not they were doing well. He worked tirelessly on the teleporter outside the compound, still detecting the enormous magical force within and feeling utterly helpless about it. His only motivation at the time was faith that despite all odds, his new friends would find victory.

Puzzlingly, his analysis soon indicated that two more sources of powerful magic were in there as well. They didn't quite match the potential of whatever the soldiers were fighting, but they were distinct enough to register all the same. He recognized one signature as Misery, the witch who had kidnapped Curly's Mimiga children, but the second was unfamiliar to him. Even so, with the signal to their receptors being disrupted he could do nothing to support them.

Clenching his metal fists in increasing frustration at his own helplessness, Malco returned to calibrating the teleporter's destination. It was almost finished.

* * *

Quote drew Polar Star from its holster in anticipation of a fight, but the Doctor paid no mind to him or Curly.

"MISERY!" he shouted. "Stop wasting time! Get the Core up to the lab and repair it, NOW!"

The witch nodded silently and pointed her staff at it. She, the five small defenders, and the Core itself all vanished in a flash of blue light, leaving the Doctor behind with the robots.

Curly was already pointing her Snake rifle straight at the man with her finger on the trigger, so Quote did the same with Polar Star and Bubbline.

"So, the two of you managed to survive…" he said with the same impossibly smug tone he'd had in the Sand Zone. "I'm impressed by your persistence, if a bit disappointed by your failure to realize you simply can't win."

They didn't reply to him, opening fire with their weapons immediately and sending an enormous barrage of projectiles toward him. The Doctor's sneer only widened, and he levitated out of harm's way without suffering a single hit. Quote began trying to outsmart him, shooting where he was going to be while Curly continued to chase him down with her own bullets. Once again, however, he dodged every one of their shots.

"Impressed? This artifact gives me great power," the Doctor taunted, pointing at his helmet. Quote remembered Jenka's warning about it, and Malco had also revealed its name: the legendary Demon Crown.

Not one to be intimidated so easily, he holstered Bubbline and drew King's sword instead, pointing it threateningly at their foe.

"Oh? That blade… I remember now, it belonged to a Mimiga who died in the Sand Zone. An unfortunate loss; I could have used the additional labor in my plantation. What are you hoping to do with it? Surely you don't think you can kill me with it from so far away…"

Quote's grip on Polar Star and the sword's hilt tightened.

"I suppose," the Doctor continued, "that you could try and throw it at me. It works in fiction all the time. In fact, before coming to this island I recall seeing a movie-"

Both he and the soldier had failed to notice Curly discreetly sneaking around his left flank. She let out yet another barrage from her gun, catching the Doctor by surprise. Even with the ambush, though, he managed to avoid any harm whatsoever.

"Hahahaha! Well played, my mechanical friends! You managed to distract me long enough for a surprise. But it wasn't good enough… and now, I'm afraid our time together is _OVER._ "

The red jewel of an eye in the middle of the Demon Crown glowed brightly, and before Quote could react he felt the ground beneath him explode. He was launched across the chamber, landing in a heap on a catwalk near where the Core had been. Curly let out a shriek as the same thing happened to her, sending her to the opposite corner. In a daze, he could see that she'd been knocked out by her impact with the wall.

"Farewell, you robotic pests!" the Doctor jeered. The crown's eye flashed one more time before he teleported away.

 _"_ _He… escaped again…"_ Quote grumbled under his breath. His entire body felt like it had just been crushed, but he was in much better shape than the still-unconscious Curly (he _hoped_ she was unconscious) across the room. In fact, his condition was good enough to make him wonder why the Doctor had left him alive at all.

Horror flooded through him when he realized what the Demon Crown's second flash had done. Wet, cold horror. The entire chamber had filled with water to the very top before he could possibly react, and he was already feeling the effects of oxygen deprivation.

* * *

Malco's grief diminished when the teleporter was finally online again. It had taken him much longer than he'd anticipated, but now they could return to Mimiga Village to plan their next move. His mood further improved when the magic disruption inside the compound inexplicably stopped. Taking this as a sign that his companions had succeeded in defeating their enemy, he attempted to connect to their receptors. Their signals were still online, but neither of the soldiers were responding for some reason.

 **"** **Oh no…"**

* * *

Quote was torn in his objective. The blast door they'd entered through had been blown apart during their fight with the Core, but Curly still wasn't moving where she lay. Her Air Tank had kicked in once again, so at least she didn't need to worry about drowning.

He, on the other hand, had barely moved from his spot and he could feel the water seeping into his body already. Quote's vision blurred, the world went dark around him, and he finally collapsed to the floor. Another addition to the countless robot corpses…

 _Did you know that the witch named Jenka had a younger brother? His name was Ballos. Like his older sister, he had magic powers unlike anyone could imagine. He was not stronger than Jenka, but possessed an amazing proficiency for magic all the same. And just like his sister channeled her power into her daughter, Misery… Ballos channeled his power into his son…_

 _"_ _That voice… it sounds familiar, but I can't make it out exactly. Who's saying it? Malco? Curly?"_

He snapped awake with a gasp. His body was steadily draining itself out, and while he still felt the water sloshing uncomfortably he was alive and well. In fact, he could breathe just fine… and he didn't even feel like he was still submerged. Where _was_ he?

Opening his eyes, his recent memories came back. He had fought the Core, then Misery and the Doctor had appeared, then he saw Curly unconscious… Curly! What had happened to her? Did she make it out too? And… how did he make it to safety?

It soon became clear to him that he _hadn't_ made it to safety. He was still underwater, but for some reason he could breathe. Quote recognized the murky shapes of the dead soldiers and damaged scaffoldings where the Core had once been, yet the air around him felt fresh and light.

 _"_ _Air… wait a minute…"_

He whirled to face the spot his partner had been in before. She wasn't there, but rather laying face-down right at his feet. Her soft blonde hair billowed around her in the water, and her eyes were closed with her mouth half-open. Quote was surrounded by the bubble generated from an Air Tank like she had, and with a sudden feeling of dread he pulled up the back of her shirt. Sure enough, an empty indentation in her back greeted him, void of the one thing that allowed her to breathe underwater. Hands beginning to tremble, he reached behind himself and felt his own back. There was a bulge in his shirt where the indentation in himself had been beforehand. She had given him the Air Tank while he was unconscious, effectively saving his life…

...in exchange for her own.


	31. Plans Awry

Chapter 31: Plans Awry

Quote remained where he was, staring down at Curly's body without moving an inch. This wasn't happening. He refused to believe this was happening. Curly Brace, a reliable ally- and a close friend- who had rarely allowed herself to show any sign of weakness for long, was _not_ dead before his very eyes.

 _"_ _It… it can't be…"_

Why had she given him the Air Tank, knowing that she would drown as a result? She could have saved herself, after all; the blast door had been destroyed. All she had to do was walk out and rejoin Malco, and they would have been safe.

 _"_ _She had so much more to live for than me… she still had those children to look after, and I have nothing. Nothing except for her and Malco. Why did she save me?!"_

Quote was practically fuming at the thought. This didn't need to have happened! She could have- she SHOULD have lived, and gone on to raise those four Mimiga!

His mental rant was interrupted when he realized that Malco was trying to contact him. Just acknowledging that thought seemed to accept the connection, not that the soldier cared much by then.

 **"** **Quote! Finally, I've been attempting to reach you two! What's going on in there? Curly isn't responding, is she okay?"**

It took him a moment to choke out a response.

"We fought the Core keeping the island up. The Doctor appeared and tried to drown us, then Curly… gave me her Air Tank."

Malco was saying something in return, but he hardly paid attention to the other robot. His eyes never left his fallen partner's still form, and as more time passed the sheer reality of what he was looking at became apparent to him. She seemed too unharmed to be dead. Toroko's corpse had been bloodied and battered, but aside from a small rip on her false skin and her clothes being torn in a few spots, Curly looked to be in pristine condition. Even the rip on her cheek was slowly mending itself.

Wait, what? He was no expert, but he felt that shouldn't have been happening if she was completely offline. Unless that meant…

 **"** **Quote, are you listening to me? I just said she's alive! I'm still picking up her electrical signal!"**

All of his motivation came back to him at once.

"There's still time to save her?!"

 **"** **Yes, but if she's been submerged in the water for as long as I think she has we'll need to act quickly. I'll scan through my memory banks to find the instructions on treating flooded robots and transfer them to you momentarily. In the meantime, you need to get her out of the water. Make your way back to me on the double, the teleporter's ready!"**

With a burst of energy he didn't even know he was capable of, Quote scooped her up into his arms and tried to fit her body into the air bubble with him. He was willing to look past the odd discomfort of having her pulled so close to him, but the main issue with his tactic was it prevented the use of his arms, which he needed to climb out of the water by the hill of rubble. Still, he couldn't give up. If there was even the smallest chance to save her he would take it; there had to be _some_ way to get her out safely.

Fortunately for him, a solution presented itself in the form of a long rope with metal clasps at each end. It was loosely coiled around the arm of one of the dead soldier robots, and although it had a fair amount of mold due to age it was better than nothing. Thinking quickly, Quote tied his and Curly's waists together, with her chest leaning against his back and her head nodding to the side of his. It wasn't much more of a comfortable position than what he'd just tried, but at least now his hands were free. He began to walk toward the pile of wreckage that could lead him out of the flooded chamber, feeling her bounce lightly against him with each step.

"Hang on, Curly… you'll be alright, I promise."

She was lighter than he'd assumed, which made clambering through the open blast door much easier. As he proceeded back towards the abandoned camp where Malco was waiting, he heard a distinct chime somewhere in his head.

 _"_ _Transfer of file 'Tending to Waterlogged Soldier Robots' complete."_

His legs still hurt from the last impact, the trace amounts of water that had yet to drain from his body continued to cause him immense discomfort, and his drenched clothes only weighed him down even more. But he pressed on with steadfast resolve, fighting through every step to save Curly.

When he finally made it back into the Labyrinth's rust-colored tunnel, he collapsed to his knees and panted loudly from his exhaustion. Quote had never been happier to be in that narrow cave.

 **"** **You're safe! Excellent, simply excellent!"**

Malco was standing on his side of the lake as well, and rushed over to inspect him and Curly.

 **"** **You received the file, yes?"**

"Yes… I did…"

 **"** **Good, you can access it from your own memory banks now. This may not be the most appropriate location, but follow its steps to drain her right here. I worry that if we wait any longer her internal systems will shut down for good. I'll get the teleporter warmed up."**

Without waiting for a response, he ran back across the rusted bridge to Team 9's command post. Quote sighed again wearily but didn't hesitate. He untied Curly from himself and laid her down on her back.

"Access the file…?" he repeated to himself, wondering how exactly he was supposed to do that in his own head.

It turned out that just thinking about it sufficed, and soon enough the instructions were relaying across his mind. Quote didn't need to focus on anything in particular, as within seconds his electronic brain had processed the information completely. Now he could get to work on draining Curly.

Regarding the specific steps, though… he was beginning to wonder what had been meant by "appropriate location" for tending to her, and based on how personal some of the instructions required him to be, he had his suspicions.

"Malco, are you still connected to my receptors?"

 **"** **Yes, of course I am."**

"You can see everything that I can?" he asked again for confirmation.

 **"** **Yes. Why?"**

Quote stared down at his partner's limp body and swallowed his pride for what he needed to do.

"Do me a favor and disconnect for a few minutes."

* * *

Malco did as requested and severed the sensory connection to Quote, though he wasn't sure why he had to. The most likely explanation was that he wanted privacy when draining Curly's innards, but even then he couldn't fathom the necessity of doing so. Did it embarrass the soldier? He and Curly were of different robot varieties than Malco, so they could have been programmed with varying mental responses to certain subjects… that made sense to him, at any rate.

He pushed aside those thoughts and began the teleporter's startup procedure. Such details weren't important, what _did_ matter was that Quote and Curly were safe. Retrieval Team 9 may have been gone, but Malco still had friends to accompany on their mission. He felt a subtle buildup of frustration somewhere inside him, which he attributed to learning that his old allies had been destroyed… but he brushed it off. Having such good new ones made up for it in full. At last, they could escape the Labyrinth and bring the fight to the Doctor.

* * *

It didn't take long for Quote to conclude that whoever had built Curly had a _very_ twisted idea of designing robots.

The process of draining her wasn't difficult, and in fact only took about three minutes to complete. Those were the most uncomfortable three minutes he'd experienced in all of his time awake, however, as the procedure had unwittingly taught him that the female soldier was built very nearly anatomically correct. Quote spent those dreadful three minutes getting _far_ more familiar with Curly's figure than he'd ever wanted to, and by the end he felt both relieved at watching the water drain from her body… and ashamed with himself at seeing it drain via an orifice he didn't want to dwell on. He briefly checked under his own clothes to find that, like her, he'd been constructed to be anatomically correct. Something about knowing that made him feel nauseous. Nevertheless, it had saved her life. That was more than worth the discomfort for him.

To Quote's delight, within moments her body stirred and she groaned softly. He watched her eyes open, adjusting to the brightness of the tunnel (relative to where they'd just been, anyway) and looking around in a daze. Curly brought a hand to her forehead and rubbed it, all while he let the relief that she'd survived sink in.

"Ugh… what happened?"

She sat straight up, almost smashing her head against his in the process, and glanced around her with a look of panic.

"Quote! Where's Quote?"

The soldier almost laughed at her concern; he was sitting no less than a yard behind her. She noticed him soon enough, turning to look at him with an odd expression on her face.

"Relax, I'm right here. You had me worried for-"

Quote was sharply cut off when Curly launched herself at him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and squeezing him tight.

"You're… you're safe…" she whispered in a shaky voice.

"It's alright, everything's fine now."

Despite having been underwater, she still smelled rather strongly of Mimiga fur, but by then he was beyond caring about that. He returned the hug with as much affection as he could muster- how much that was exactly didn't matter. After a few seconds, Curly pulled away from him with a smile and even a blush.

"I-I thought you were a goner in there… after I woke up from being knocked out, I saw you unconscious and panicked," she said quietly. "You didn't seem like you had much time left before drowning, so I gave you the Air Tank."

"Why did you do that?" Quote asked. "You deserved it more than me, since you still have those kids to go back to…"

Her smile faded somewhat, making him wonder if he shouldn't have asked.

"You're a better fighter than I am," Curly said in reply. "You know more about what we're up against, and I thought you should be the one to live and stop the Doctor."

Quote wasn't sure if she was right about him being the stronger one or not. In every skirmish they'd been in together, they had seemed roughly on par with one another.

They finally released each other from the hug to have more space.

"Well," he said, "I'm flattered you think that much of me. Even so, you're pretty good in a fight too. I can't beat the Doctor without your help, you know."

"I'm not sure about that… but I'll do everything I can to back you up anyway."

 **"** **Ah, you're awake!"** Malco blared into their heads together. **"Fortune has smiled upon us after all! It's a shame you were unconscious; I've never seen Quote so motivated as when he saved you!"**

Curly suddenly looked confused.

"Wait a second, how _did_ you save me?"

He picked up the rope and showed it to her.

"I found this in the water and tied you to me so your whole body was in the Air Tank's bubble."

"Oh… maybe I should've thought of that myself. But wait, wasn't I totally flooded? I thought that was supposed to shut us down."

"It was," he continued, "but Malco sent me some instructions on how to, uh… drain your body. So I did."

She gave him another odd look, but didn't pry any further.

"Sounds like a story for some other time. Can we get to Mimiga Village now?"

 **"** **Yes we can! The teleporter is operational and its coordinates are set! I'm going in now, hurry over here when you're ready!"**

Malco's connection to them was cut off when he warped away, finally escaping the Labyrinth and moving out of range to contact them. Standing up, Quote offered a hand to Curly.

"Do you need help walking?"

"Oh, since when were you such a gentleman?" she teased.

Frowning, he pulled his hand away.

"I guess you're fine. Come on, let's catch up with him."

He started to walk back across the decrepit bridge toward the old camp with Curly following closely behind him. They had escaped certain death together, and now they would teach the Doctor a lesson.

"What?! Q-Quote, move!"

Her shout caught him off guard, but not as much as the bridge suddenly groaning under their weight. Realizing their predicament, he sprinted the rest of the way and practically dove onto the ground past the lake. Behind him, he heard a loud metallic screech as the bridge collapsed and sank into the dark, murky waters. His heart (if he had one) stopped when he realized that Curly hadn't made it with him. The last thing he saw was a brief flash of blonde hair as she was completely submerged.

 _"_ _NO!"_

He had just nearly watched her drown, and he wasn't about to do it again. Even if it meant having to go through that procedure to drain her a second time, he would _not_ lose her. He couldn't.

Without hesitating, Quote dove into the lake after his friend. It was difficult to see, but the Air Tank she'd given him certainly helped. The device kicked in immediately and allowed him to breathe and move without being restricted by the water pressure, which greatly aided his search. Soon enough he spotted Curly being sucked into some kind of intake pipe. Their eyes locked for a split second, but it was enough for him to see the pleading, frightened look on her face as she passed through the tube and out of sight.

Quote followed as quickly as he could, getting caught up in the same current as her and being swiftly carried through the underground waterway. He propelled himself with the flow, trying desperately to catch up. Despite his best efforts, nothing could have prepared him for when a sharp turn in the pipe led to a branching path, and all he could do was hopelessly reach for Curly as she was sucked in a different direction than him.

There was no telling where either of them would end up. This time, he had really lost her.


	32. Apart

Chapter 32: Apart

 **Author's Note:** **Wow, this story's passed two thousand views! Thanks so much, I hope I can continue to entertain you all :D**

* * *

Malco stepped out of the teleporter with a delighted cheer. He'd finally made it to the Mimiga Village where Quote had begun his adventure, and now he was able to meet some of the creatures personally. They had an important mission to carry out, but as long as he was still waiting for his companions to arrive there was no harm in introducing himself.

The robot recognized the building he was in as "Arthur's house," where Sue, Professor Booster, and Kazuma had been planning their next move. Oddly enough, however, the residence was empty aside from him. In fact, when he opened the door to see the rest of the village, it too appeared deserted. There hadn't been many Mimiga left according to Quote, but something didn't feel right about how empty the cavern was. Its oddly pristine condition gave the impression that the residents had completely vanished in an instant. Where had everyone gone?

 **"** **Hello? Is anyone here? Helloooooo?!"**

No response. Malco sighed and returned to Arthur's house after another minute of fruitless searching. Nobody was there either, which struck him as odd. The teleporter should have cooled down by then, so why hadn't Quote or Curly returned yet? He attempted to connect to their receptors, only to hear the static of poor reception. Wherever they were, he couldn't communicate with them.

"A robot…?"

He spun around to face the source of the deep voice. It was a rather short man with a white lab coat and red-tinted glasses, half-concealed by a pile of crates next to Arthur's house.

 **"** **Professor Booster! Finally, I've found someone here! The village seems deserted."**

The old man looked at Malco with a confused frown before recognizing him at last.

"Oh yes, you were with that soldier in the Bushlands… do you know where he is? He never returned from the Sand Zone."

 **"** **I monitored Quote on his mission to destroy the Demon Flowers. He found another robot to help along the way, but failed in the end… the three of us were sent deep into the Labyrinth and had to reprogram a teleporter to make it back here. What happened in our absence?"**

Professor Booster was silent as he took in what Malco had said. He sighed wearily, looking utterly defeated by the time he got to his own explanation.

"Not long after Quote left, the witch Misery appeared and kidnapped the remaining Mimiga. I wouldn't be surprised if all of them on the island are under the Doctor's control now… if he really does have the red flowers with him, then tragedy is inevitable. None of us can stop him."

 **"** **Don't say that!"** the robot countered, clenching his fists. **"Once Quote and Curly get here, we'll set out to beat him together. They… should have come through the teleporter by now…"**

Something was wrong. The two were much later than was reasonable. Malco checked the teleporter again, ensuring that there were no problems with its connection to the Labyrinth. Growing more concerned by the second, he reentered it and warped back to their last position to find out what was taking them so long.

Upon seeing the bridge extending across the lake completely gone, and the two soldiers nowhere to be found, his optimism shattered completely. The only logical explanation was that they had fallen into the water before making all the way back. How could he have teleported away so quickly and left them behind?! Quote's empty missile launcher was even sitting abandoned on the edge of the water, indicating that at least he had made it most of the way across!

 **"** **N… no, no, no…"**

Neither of them were responding to his communications. For all intents and purposes, they were gone. With a heavy heart, Malco picked up the launcher, slinging it over his shoulder to carry it with him. What was left for him now? Retrieval Team 9 was destroyed, Quote and Curly had vanished, and the Doctor was closer than ever to victory.

 ** _"_** ** _The Doctor…"_**

Thinking about him made Malco fume. He was the source of everyone's problems on this island… his friends had been determined to stop him no matter the cost. They put themselves at enormous personal risk for the sake of the Mimiga race, and their mission was his as well. Quote and Curly were nowhere to be seen, but as long as he was still standing he would fight in their place to the best of his ability. For reasons he didn't concern himself with at the moment, his processor was beginning to overheat. Malco went through the teleporter back to Arthur's house, where Professor Booster was waiting inside.

"You didn't find them? Then… we really have lost after all. I only wish I could have saved Sue."

 **"** **How do I get to the Doctor's base of operations?"** Malco asked, burning with determination.

"Hm? At… at the end of the Egg Corridor, there's a passage leading onto the edge of the island. If you could make your way up the cliff face, you'd reach the Plantation where he keeps his slaves. But you're not seriously considering-"

He didn't have a chance to finish his sentence, as the robot had already calibrated the teleporter's destination and disappeared.

Malco emerged in the long hallway flanked by enormous egg incubators. He'd never seen this place before, but that hardly mattered to him. His analysis of the surroundings familiarized him with it easily.

 ** _"_** ** _What is this feeling? I'm… losing focus…"_**

His sheer motivation to bring the Doctor to his knees appeared to be getting the better of him, and he was feeling an unspeakable amount of aggression at the moment. Despite his best efforts to stay calm, he was sick of having to rely on the soldiers in combat… no more. No more. No more!

 **"** **NO MORE!"**

Malco's red eye-lenses began to glow a fiery orange as various hostile creatures peered at him in the shadows of the Egg Corridor. Large Critters and a swarm of green, scaly, winged beasts with short but sharp fangs were drawing near, clearly interested in tasting the sudden intruder.

He wasn't afraid at all. The missile launcher was empty, but his Fireball handgun was still primed and ready for action. Malco's gaze traveled across what looked like fuel cells running along the walls, feeding into the egg incubators. They seemed relatively fragile and _highly_ combustible, certainly potent enough to wipe out the aggressive residents of the long corridor.

Clutching his gun with a grim resolve, the enraged robot charged forward to engage his enemies.

* * *

Quote had lost track of time as he was carried through the network of pipes. His Air Tank protected him from drowning in the current, but all he could think about was Curly, and how she didn't have the same protection. His only hope was that she would be spat out onto dry land before it was too late.

His thoughts turned to the third member of their group. Was Malco still waiting for them? He could only imagine how anxious the other robot felt as he anticipated their arrival, but they would never make it there at this rate. Curly was lost in some other part of the island, and he himself was still drifting through the waterway.

That is, until the pipe suddenly ended and forcefully ejected him into a small body of water.

"Where am I…?"

Dragging himself onto a muddy bank, Quote took in his surroundings and found them strangely familiar. Brown and rocky cave walls, cool air, a small bridge extending across the pond… by dumb luck, it appeared that he'd been taken back to the reservoir of Mimiga Village.

That was _some_ good news at least, but Curly's absence diminished any positive feelings to it.

He sat up and checked himself over. Nothing was broken or waterlogged, and aside from the conspicuous lack of his missile launcher his weapons were all accounted for. Quote got to his feet, walking out of that small cave into the village at last. He needed to move quickly. Malco was still waiting for him, after all, and they had a mission to carry out. If luck allowed it, they could find Curly again on the way.


	33. Unfinished Business

Chapter 33: Unfinished Business

 **Author's Note: It's announcement time! I've started work on an adaptation of Earthbound, and I'll begin uploading it soon. If you're interested, keep an eye out for it! And don't worry, it won't take any time away from the updates to this story.**

It took Quote very little time at all to realize that Mimiga Village was empty. By his count there should only have been four of them left, along with Sue, Booster, and Kazuma. Even such low numbers at least gave the impression that people lived there, but the place was a ghost town now. He felt his heart sink further with the understanding that, like Curly's adopted children, they had all likely been taken away by the Doctor. Trying to remain as motivated as possible, he proceeded towards Arthur's house. Perhaps Malco had figured out a plan.

When he flung open the door, however, the robot was nowhere to be seen. The only person in there was Professor Booster, who fortunately appeared unharmed.

"Quote? So you're safe after all," he remarked, standing up from the desk he'd been working at. Countless scraps of metal were strewn across it, and in the center was a green, bulky-looking metal device. "How did you get here?"

"I fell into the Labyrinth's waterway, and after a while it dropped me off at the reservoir. I should have gotten here much earlier than this, since I was supposed to meet someone here."

Booster's already tired expression only sank lower.

"Your robot friend from Bushlands? He was here about twenty minutes ago, wondering what the holdup was. When he thought something had happened to you, he decided to confront the Doctor himself…"

As if things couldn't get any worse. Malco wasn't built to fight like him and Curly, if he seriously tried to take him down alone then he didn't stand a chance.

"I need to go after him," Quote said at last. "Where is he?"

"The Egg Corridor, I think. He asked me how to get to the Doctor's fortress, and I told him about climbing the cliff face at the end of the island. After that he left looking completely furious… I can't tell why, though."

He suddenly recalled the damaged robot he and Curly had found in the Core chamber, and how it had mentioned Malco-class units going haywire under extreme stress. If that was the case, then his ally was possibly in even more danger to himself.

"If you plan to follow him," Professor Booster continued, "you'll need a way to catch up. Take this with you."

He presented the green device he'd been working on, which was revealed to be a rocket pack. Two gleaming thrusters protruded from the bottom, and a harness on the front kept it in place as Quote slipped it on. His antennae began to beep softly as if in response to it.

"This is the Booster Jetpack, 2.0, my finest creation. I modified it specifically for a soldier like you. Now you can activate it remotely thanks to your receptors, no hands required. It'll help you climb toward the Doctor's stronghold, once you get used to it."

Professor Booster sat back down in the chair and rested his hands on his knees.

"I have one last request of you, Quote. If you see Sue again, please take her and find a way to escape this island. She never wanted to come here in the first place, but she couldn't be left alone… Kazuma and their mother, Doctor Momorin Sakamoto, are the only family she has. Sue resisted coming to this island for as long as she could, but in the end she had no choice. I only wish I could have gotten her to safety before all this happened…"

Quote nodded, but internally he knew that he wasn't just going to leave. The Doctor still needed to be taken care of, after all. He had to be stopped from causing a global disaster. Moreover, Curly and Malco were missing, and he wasn't going anywhere until he'd found them. While he knew that stopping the enemy was the main objective, a large part of him wanted to ignore that altogether and search for his companions instead.

Either way, he'd been standing around long enough. He had things to do, and not much time to do them. Quote double-checked his weapons to make sure he was ready. The missile launcher had been lost, but he still had Bubbline, King's sword, and Polar Star, all in good condition.

He paused when his eyes landed on the last weapon. That small gun had served him well across his journey, but he hadn't forgotten that he'd stolen it before falling into Mimiga Village. Maybe, with the jetpack, he could return to that first cave and give Polar Star back to its rightful owner. It would take valuable time away from his other objectives, but something inside him felt compelled to do that.

Quote ran out of Arthur's house and made his way back to the grassy patch where he'd first arrived in the village. Far above him, he could still see the hole leading back to where that old hermit lived. He adjusted the straps on the Booster so it fit snugly and prepared to fly. Only… he wasn't sure how that worked. The Professor had mentioned it interfacing with his antennae, so was he supposed to activate it by thought?

Yes, it seemed, as when he concentrated on it for even a moment he was launched straight up into the air like a graceless bird. Even for his first time, Quote suspected he was performing lousily as even the slightest shift in weight caused him to almost careen into the cavern wall. He made his way back to the ground as gently as he could, only activating the Booster again to break his fall for a split second. It took the soldier two additional attempts before he finally made it all the way up to the ledge, and even then he learned a harsh lesson about the jetpack's limited flight time. After just a few seconds of sustained use it would overheat and need to recharge, cutting out altogether even if he was in the air with it. Quote was just barely able to haul himself into the upper tunnel before that happened again.

Being in the tunnel where he'd first awoken again felt extremely strange for the soldier. He had no idea how long it was since he was last there, as so much had happened to him. As he walked past the small cavern that he had been laying in, he reflected on all that he'd learned about so far.

He- Quote- was a soldier robot from the surface world, seven miles below the island. Many like him had been sent there during a war ten years earlier, to retrieve the Demon Crown and kill any Mimiga standing in the way. After that, however… _something_ had happened to him to wipe his memory and leave him abandoned in that tiny room. It was actually quite frustrating to consider how little he still knew about himself. He'd learned so much about the people around him, yet his own past was a mystery. In his efforts to stop the Doctor, finding out more about himself had been pushed to the side. And until he was defeated at last, it would have to stay there.

The tunnel was much shorter than he remembered, and within minutes he'd arrived at the carved stone tiger head where the lone gunsmith lived. Quote walked inside slowly so as to not startle the old man- if he was even awake this time.

He was. The hermit looked just as withered and dirty as when Quote had first seen him, but he was standing up perfectly fine with his hands on the table where Polar Star had been. He turned his head to look at the soldier with tired but surprised eyes.

"You're awake after all… what do you want?" he asked in a gravelly voice. "Don't suppose you're itchin' for a fight, since I'm not much of a challenge right now. I would've been, if I still had my gun… someone pilfered it while I was asleep the other day. If I'd known that would happen, I'd have just slept with the thing in my chest pocket."

The hermit didn't take long to notice Polar Star in its holster around Quote's waist. He drew the gun and held it out, offering it back.

"So you're the one who took it! I should've known, you soldier types will grab any weapon you can get your hands on!"

He snatched it out of Quote's grip and backed away with the weapon cradled close to his chest.

"I didn't make this gun for you, you know. Hmph! Seems like you've managed to put a lot of wear on it in such a short time. Got in a lot of fights, did you?"

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry for stealing it from you."

Quote hadn't missed his comment about "soldier types," but he doubted the old man was in much of a talking mood now. He turned around to walk out, only for him to speak again before he had a chance to leave.

"I was raised to believe that one should only ever use the things he created himself. For the longest time, I thought those who fought using other people's weapons were fools through and through! Getting too confident with power that wasn't even their own, then blaming their failures on the stolen equipment… just thinking about it made me sick!"

Suddenly, the hermit's scowl softened to a gentler, even admiring expression. He delicately traced his fingers along Polar Star's barrel.

"But seeing this… this incomplete gun, which you've put to so much use despite its shortcomings… well, I'm very touched by your persistence. You obviously need this gun more than I do."

Quote gestured to Bubbline and the sword.

"It's fine, I have other weapons to use-"

"Nonsense, I insist that you keep it. This old man's finest creation, in the hands of someone as capable as you… that's a nice thought. Tell you what, I'll give it back so you can keep putting it to good use…"

The hermit smiled at him confidently.

"…after I've completed it, of course! Wait outside for a few minutes."

He did as requested and stood past the stone tiger's gaping maw, listening to the sounds of his weapon being worked on. In what felt like no time at all, he was beckoned back inside and presented with a truly remarkable gun.

Polar Star had been completely remodeled, and Quote found himself struck dumb with awe at the sleek, shiny pistol being given to him. A small scope was installed in the top, and its barrel had been extended by an inch. The most notable change, however, was its color: the formerly scratched cobalt casing was now a spotless, gleaming chrome.

"Impressive, isn't it? This is the Spur. I know you'll get a lot of use out of this beauty. Just hold down the trigger and watch as it charges up a powerful laser blast!"

"Wow…" he mumbled, taking the gun into his hands. It was heavier than before, but not by much. Just holding it made him feel stronger, and taking down his enemies now felt like it would be significantly easier.

"How can I repay you for this?"

"Don't bother," the hermit replied with a hearty laugh. "Just do your best out there."

Nodding in gratitude, Quote stepped out of his alcove into the tunnel again with his new weapon held tight.

"Oh, one more thing… do you know me? You seemed familiar with me when I came in."

The old man scratched his head.

"Yeah, I do. Some shifty-looking person in a hood dropped you off outside my cave a long time ago and said I needed to fix you up. Wouldn't tell me why, just that it was important. I didn't have anything else to do, so I gave it a shot. I did my best, but you just refused to reactivate, so I assumed you were scrap and left you somewhere else in the tunnel. Seems I was mistaken."

"…I see… thank you for everything, I'd better get moving now."

Malco must have been far ahead of him by that point, and he needed to catch up. It was time to pay a visit to the Doctor.

Even so, he began to question what the hermit had said. Quote only knew one "shifty-looking" hooded person; had he been the one to leave him there?

* * *

Near the surface of the island was an especially large cave system called the Plantation. Mimiga scurried about, tending to patches of Demon Flowers with upmost care. They most likely didn't realize the potential those vile plants held, and even if they did the Doctor had been forcing them to continue their work regardless. Only one person among the entire cave didn't concern himself with the flowers or the Mimiga, and indeed nobody had realized he was there.

Taking care not to dip his long green cloak into the massive water reservoir before him, the orange-scaled reptilian walked along the bank toward a collapsed figure nearby. He recognized her smooth blonde hair and pale skin… she was with that soldier in the Sand Zone, and just as he'd predicted they were sent to the Labyrinth. The man had sent their third friend there himself to assist them, and there the group had battled and almost destroyed the Core. Now it was above them all, hidden in the Doctor's fortress on the surface of the island.

Curly was very badly damaged and unconscious, but appeared to be alive. With his normal unintentionally twisted smile, Cthulhu began to drag her away.


	34. Desolation

Chapter 34: Desolation

While he could almost feel the power radiating from his new Spur blaster, Quote was much less certain about the Booster still harnessed to his back. He'd descended rather clumsily from the tunnel back into Mimiga Village, almost crashing once again. Nevertheless, he returned to Arthur's house with a newfound confidence. Professor Booster was inspecting the computer when he walked in.

"Oh, you're back… I just noticed a message from Kazuma. He's in the Egg Corridor, and says that if anyone can read this we should go to meet him there. Apparently he managed to hatch one of the dragon eggs and has secured an escape route if we need it. I told him that I'd be there shortly, and you'd be with me."

Quote nodded to show he understood. After all, he was going through there anyway, so escorting the old man wasn't too much of a problem. Booster entered the teleporter first, and once it had cooled down he followed after him. When he emerged from the tube, however, he wondered if they'd really been sent to the right place. The Egg Corridor was practically unrecognizable.

It looked as though a twister had touched down in the center of the long hallway and torn apart everything around it. Shards of broken glass and sparking, frayed wires topped off the heaps of rubble that were once egg incubators, with the conditions of the eggs themselves ranging from dangerously cracked and oozing to utterly demolished. For every ruined egg there was a corresponding baby dragon, and most of them had clearly died when the shells were broken. Slumped over with blank expressions, the unborn creatures had never even had the chance to fight back against whatever had caused this. The dragons that _did_ manage to escape their shells had evidently not fared much better, as their miserable corpses lined the trail just the same. Each of them sported at least one serious burn, with some even having their skeletons exposed through their charred turquoise scales. To his side, Professor Booster looked like he was about to faint, and Quote couldn't say he blamed the man.

 _"_ _What happened here?"_ he thought to himself. _"What could have destroyed it all? Malco…?"_

No, that was impossible. There was just no way he'd have destroyed the entire corridor; he was programmed for analysis. If anything he might have moved through without attempting to fight at all to maximize his safety, unless…

…unless he'd gone haywire, like that robot from the Core had warned…

"We need to find Kazuma quickly," Booster said, running as fast as he could down the narrow path through all the destruction. "Come on!"

Quote trailed close behind him, keeping Spur ready in case anything unfriendly were to appear. However, nothing did. They passed by several more dragon corpses, along with the charred remains of Critters and small winged creatures he didn't recognize. Everything around them was in an unfathomable state of devastation, and not even seeing all those dead soldiers compared to it.

The structure housing Egg No. 00 eventually came into view. Somehow, it was completely intact despite the carnage around it. If Kazuma were still here, he had most likely holed himself up in there with the egg. Maybe he'd even figured out the password Sue had mentioned.

His attention didn't linger on the building for long, however, before he noticed that one of the baby dragons was still alive. Its bloodied fangs and gruesomely torn wings gave it a zombielike appearance as it stared down the soldier with dull red eyes. He pointed the Spur at it in warning, gesturing for Professor Booster to run into the structure ahead to stay safe.

Quote's finger rested on the trigger of his gun as he slowly drew closer to the dragon. It snarled and bared its teeth, each of which looked painfully sharp and fully capable of ripping through him. If Curly were there, she might have said something about putting the poor creature out of its misery, and that was what he intended to do.

That is, until it was suddenly engulfed in an enormous burst of flames from somewhere behind it. As the dragon collapsed to the ground, crying in agony, a high-pitched metallic voice could be heard shrieking nearby.

 **"** **Enemy has been terminated! Destroy!** ** _Destroy! DESTROY!_** **"**

"Malco?!"

Indeed, his longtime companion was standing very close by and letting out a triumphant but malicious laugh. Based on the blazing orange color of his eyes and the way he seemed to delight in the destruction, it was clear that something had snapped in the robot. He didn't notice Quote moving toward him, instead facing the other way and decimating a straggling group of Critters with a weapon that seemed oddly familiar in more ways than one.

It soon became clear that this recognition was literal. Malco was armed with some kind of napalm cannon that appeared to be a fusion of his Fireball handgun and- surprisingly- Quote's lost missile launcher. How the robot had managed to combine the weapons together was less of a concern to him than the fact that he was incinerating everything around him.

 **"** **THE DOCTOR WILL SUFFER!"**

"Hey! It's me, Quote! I've been looking for you!"

This time, his call hadn't gone unheard. Malco's rectangular head swiveled around to face him, and his body followed soon enough. Despite seeing Quote, he obviously didn't recognize him in his madness, and the soldier had to scramble out of the way as another fiery blast scorched the air around him.

 **"** **DESTROY!"**

Keeping Spur close to his chest, he ducked behind a pile of rubble and tried to think of a plan. Possibly hurting Malco went against every fiber of his being, but he had to stop this rampage before he scorched the entire corridor into oblivion. The most likely explanation for his actions was thinking that he'd lost Quote and Curly had overwhelmed his senses and driven him into this state.

Curly… she was better at managing emotional situations like this. He would have given anything for her to be there, then she could have thought of a solution to the problem. Of course, Quote wanted her to be there with him in general, but…

 **"** **DESTROY! DESTROY!"**

He hissed and pulled himself further into his hiding spot as Malco let loose again. It was time to get serious about this.

"Get a grip! It's me!"

Quote dashed out from behind the pile of rubble to try and get closer. If he could knock that weapon away from his opponent, he would be able to end the fight quickly. Malco seemed to realize the same thing and began to step backwards as he approached, firing off another blast. He barely managed to avoid it in time, throwing himself to the left and landing in a roll. Continuing to run in a wide arc around him, Quote analyzed what he was up against.

He'd admittedly gotten used to having his self-proclaimed guide available to formulate strategies in combat, but now he would have to do it himself. It wasn't impossible; Quote had been built to fight anyway. This, he realized, would work to his advantage, as Malco's only real danger came from the strength behind his weapon. His attacks were powerful, but clumsy and inaccurate when trying to hit a target as nimble as the soldier.

As tempting as it was to test out Spur for the first time, Quote wasn't sure how much it could possibly damage Malco. To that end, he kept his finger off the trigger while he inched his way closer and drew King's sword. He also considered using the Booster to gain an aerial advantage, but with how narrow the corridor was and with his inexperience he was more likely to slam into the ceiling upon starting it up. He continued to weave between the repeated blasts, getting closer and closer to the robot with each dodge.

* * *

 ** _"_** ** _Unstable… everything is… unstable…"_**

Malco was having a serious issue with his inner processors at best. At worst, he feared that he was literally breaking down. Everything before him was a red and orange haze with blurred, shadowy movements being the only things he could clearly see. What was happening to him? Why was he suddenly so out of control?

He had torn his way across the Egg Corridor mercilessly, and halfway through he'd stopped to tinker with the two weapons he had on hand, merging them into the truly terrifying Napalm launcher. It required no ammunition, instead strengthening the Fireball's shots to devastating temperatures and even explosive potential. With this deadly tool he had continued on his rampage, despite still not being sure what he was even doing as he burned through everything in his path.

At the end of the tunnel, someone had caught up with him and was shouting at him to stop. He couldn't tell who he was facing, but their quick reflexes and agile movements gave the impression that they were more of a force to be reckoned with. As they inched their way toward him, he soon realized that they weren't fighting back. It made little sense to Malco; this stranger was clearly armed and perfectly capable of firing off a shot in the lulls between Napalm's blasts… what was going on?

A faint memory came to him. He could hear himself talking to someone close, expressing the need to motivate a third ally. It had occurred recently, that much was clear. Observing the pair working together so well had taught him to prioritize the morale of their group, as they functioned best in high spirits. He couldn't have learned that from Retrieval Team 9; the programming of those robots had never stressed emotional strength quite like his time spent with the two people closest to him. Malco remembered their smiling faces, the excitement running through them as they traversed a dangerous tunnel system. He could always tell that something in the two bonded them closer to each other than to him, but his presence was welcome all the same. He remembered a great frustration at only ever being able to assist them from the sidelines… had that caused his breakdown? They had intended on stopping someone called the Doctor, and keeping their spirits up while they did so. Both of his friends were gone, but he had vowed to persist for their sakes, losing himself in the process. He had been certain that he was the only hope left. And yet, this enemy before him now was giving him an uncomfortable doubt.

 ** _"_** ** _I have to settle down… something about this isn't right."_**

That, however, was not entirely in his control. His processor had been overloaded by its own stress, and moving freely proved to be immensely difficult. He became very worried about what could happen if he didn't stop. This stranger who refused to fight back could have been friendly for all he knew!

Malco wasn't planning on self-destructing, as he still had a mission to carry out, but it appeared his only option was to force himself to shut down momentarily. Diverting all of his mental power to his own internal computer, he executed a command to cease every motor function on his body. The blurred haze finally disappeared, and as everything went dark the last thing he could make out was a familiar red hat.


	35. The Sky

Chapter 35: The Sky

 **Author's Note: The Earthbound novelization is on its way! I'll upload the first chapter in a few days, alongside the next update to this story. Stay tuned!**

Quote had been expecting some kind of unpredictable counterattack from Malco. His specialty in analysis and strategy would surely have resulted in the robot sneaking in a surprise attack as he approached, but nothing of the sort happened. What _did_ happen was nevertheless a surprise in and of itself: the color in his eyes faded, his limbs all stopped moving, and he collapsed to the ground with a loud clang. His motionless hands still clutched his weapon.

The brief fight had left that section of the Egg Corridor covered with smoke, and several small fires burned around them. Fortunately, most of the materials in the walls and floor appeared to be non-flammable, so the possibility of a fiery death wasn't a serious concern at the moment. Even so, Quote had to move Malco somewhere safer. He carefully lifted up the robot by his underarms and followed Professor Booster through the door into Egg No. 00's chamber.

"I wish this wasn't how I found you, but… it's good to see you again."

No response from the unconscious robot, as expected. He was apparently still alive, as his eye lenses were a very dim red and a low humming could be heard from somewhere in his body. Knowing that made Quote feel a peculiar sense of relief; Malco may have sometimes been talkative to the point of irritation, but he had done all he could to help throughout the mission and had never let him down when things became serious. For all his chatter, he was still a loyal friend.

They were back in the room with monitors displaying the status of each egg. All sixteen of them were labeled as "Terminated," and Professor Booster was looking them over with a saddened expression.

"A pity that they died so young… I'm sure they would have been a joy to study. Where is Kazuma, though?"

Quote looked at the door leading into Egg No. 00's containment room. It was slightly ajar, as if someone had just been there. He left Malco behind for the moment and walked toward it cautiously, not knowing what to expect. The Professor followed.

Inside, all was silent and dark. Shards of the eggshell had been thrown all over the place, and fluid from inside leaked onto the floor in a sticky-looking puddle. The computer terminal beside it was blank save for two green words: "Incubation Successful." Above the broken egg, Quote saw a large metal panel that looked like it could slide open and shut. This, presumably, was how the dragon hatchling had escaped.

"Is someone there?" a muffled voice called from some unseen source.

He and Professor Booster looked around in confusion, only to reaffirm that they were still alone. Neither of them had spoken, and it hadn't been Malco (who remained unmoving where he'd been set down in the previous room).

"Kazuma?" the old man shouted back. "Is that you? We can't see you anywhere."

There was a soft click, and a light appeared in the shadowy corner of the room. Quote, on both of his visits to this chamber, had failed to notice a door off to the side as if hidden from view. It swung open to reveal the person they'd been looking for. Kazuma Sakamoto, with slightly torn and dirtied clothing, stepped into the room with them. He had a meek smile as he looked at the two, but it faded somewhat when a tremendous gust of wind blew in from behind him.

"You made it! I didn't know if you were safe or not, since I started hearing these really loud bangs from inside the corridor. It spooked me so badly that I almost left."

"Is Sue here?" Professor Booster asked hopefully. Kazuma sighed and looked at the ground.

"No… when Misery showed up and forced us to scatter, I think she took her along with the rest of the Mimiga. I'm the only one here now."

He rubbed his forehead wearily.

"I guess the Doctor managed to get those red flowers after all. Figures, it was only a matter of time."

Quote had been standing there in uncomfortable silence, reminded of his failure in the Sand Zone. Kazuma noticed him and spoke again.

"Don't be too hard on yourself, I assume you did the best you could. I'm not blaming you; the Doctor's victory was pretty much guaranteed ever since he got his hands on that thing- what did he call it, the Demon Crown? He's unstoppable, that's all there is to it. We probably don't have long before his rabid Mimiga army begins its attack, so I came here to try and secure an escape route. Luckily, I did without much of a problem."

"You really hatched a dragon?" Professor Booster asked.

"Yeah, she's right outside. Her wings are developed enough to fly, too."

Both men were silent with Quote for a few moments as the three tried to process what to do next.

"Listen," Kazuma said to him at last, "once the Doctor's army goes to attack the surface, it'll be pointless to try and stop him. Even for a soldier like you, there's no chance of us winning this fight. My dragon is big enough to carry the three of us out of here, though. Want to escape with me and Professor Booster?"

Quote's eyes widened at the suggestion, but he didn't immediately react. The older of the two humans spoke instead.

"That robot from Bushlands is also here with us. Is there room for him as well?"

"I think we could probably fit four people onto her back if we have to. It'd be a tight fit, but-"

"How… how can you just leave?"

Kazuma and Professor Booster stared at Quote incredulously. He had been silent for the entire conversation, but had cut in with a louder voice than perhaps intended. Or perhaps not.

"You're thinking of running away? You can't be serious! Sue is still on the island, and you want to _run?_ That's your sister you're abandoning!"

"I… I know that," he conceded in a miserable tone. "I know what it means if I leave now, but I'm in way over my head here. All of us are. My mom and Sue are still trapped with the Doctor, and I might never see them again…"

Kazuma looked like he was about to burst out crying.

"…but what choice do I have? I'm not a soldier like you, I can't fight at all. I don't stand a chance if I'm going to try and stop the Doctor."

Quote's outburst settled down just as quickly as it had started. He still didn't agree with the notion that they should just run, but he did understand why the man felt like he couldn't do anything.

"I'm not going to give up. I'll stop the Doctor no matter what, and I'll save Sue with everyone else. But…"

Despite his determination to succeed, something still troubled him.

"What do I do about the Mimiga if they've eaten the flowers already?"

"There might be a solution to that," Kazuma replied. "According to the research we've done, there's something called the Core on this island. From what we can tell, it generates a powerful energy field that those red flowers feed on. Their life and even their properties are almost entirely dependent on this energy. Destroy the Core, and they'll be useless. It's a long shot, but maybe it could even change the Mimiga who've eaten them back to normal."

Professor Booster cut in.

"That's a possibility, but destroying the Core will cause the island to fall from the sky. There's no telling what kind of damage it would do to the world below, or what would happen to everyone here."

Quote weighed up the options and found himself rather stumped. He shook it off for the time being, as defeating the Doctor was his top priority. Once that was taken care of, he could figure out what to do with the Core. With at least his first goal in mind, he returned to the previous room to fetch Malco. The robot was still offline, sprawled out on the floor with his limbs in every direction. He didn't appear to have an "on" switch of any kind, so Quote simply dragged him back through Egg No. 00 and out the door to the outside Kazuma had come through.

The first thing he noticed upon making it out was the sudden change in the atmosphere. It was _freezing_ compared to the many tunnels and caverns he'd been traversing so far. The air felt much less stuffy, and a strong wind howled across the outer wall of the island. He was standing on some kind of metal landing strip extending out of where the Egg Corridor had ended. Quote stopped dead in his tracks upon seeing the outside world for the very first time that he could remember.

It was roughly midnight, and the sky all around him was a deep blue, speckled with what seemed like hundreds of stars as far as the eye could see. There were no clouds obstructing his view, which he soon realized was because he was _above_ them. The island floated above a puffy gray blanket which, regrettably, prevented him from seeing the world far below. Of course, given the sheer height that may not have been a bad thing. Easily the most mesmerizing part of this view was the moon. It hung low in the sky, captivating him for at least a minute with its brightness. Looking at it made him feel confident, like he could take on anything this adventure threw at him. Quote wasn't sure why he noticed this, but the moon's gentle glow was the same shade of pure white as the artificial skin on him and Curly.

Thinking of that reminded him about her, and how she was still nowhere to be found. In fact, hadn't she been the one to suggest that she, he, and Malco should see the sky together? That felt like such a distant memory… and now here he was, seeing it alone. Curly was missing, and Malco hadn't reactivated yet. He was on his own in this dark, windy place.


	36. Ascent

**Author's Note: Happy fourth of July, readers! I know there's usually a longer break between chapters than this, but I decided to update the story a bit earlier than planned. Just a little something to enjoy after the festivities (for all my American readers, anyway) :D.**

 **On another note, the first chapter of my Earthbound adaptation is getting uploaded right after this, like I promised last time! If you're interested in reading it, go look for _Wisdom, Courage, Friendship._**

 **And one last question: how would you say I've handled Malco in this adaptation? Expanding on him- especially to the extent that he's now the tertiary main character- is hands down the biggest change I've made to Cave Story's plot. I'd just like to know what you readers think of him, what I did well, and what I didn't. Feedback is always welcome, positive or negative.**

 **But enough talk for now! On we go!**

* * *

Chapter 36: Ascent

The two humans were standing beside the hatched dragon. It was at least twice Quote's height and measured about sixteen feet in length from its rounded snout to its ridged tail. The green-scaled beast gave him a sideways look with its piercing black eyes, but otherwise didn't acknowledge him in the slightest. It was sitting with its enormous wings folded against its back, leaning on its strong hind legs while its comparatively scrawny forelegs were curled inwards.

"If you're going to confront the Doctor," Kazuma called to him over the wind, "the fastest way to sneak into his Plantation is at the top of this wall. We'll wait here if you manage to beat him, but in case things get too dangerous we have no choice but to fly away without you."

Quote nodded and looked up the ledge. It was littered with small platforms and rocky outcroppings which would make the climb easier, and at the very top he was just able to discern a small alcove leading into another part of the island. Getting up there would be treacherous even without the strong winds, as the slightest misstep could send him tumbling off the island, never to be seen again. _With_ the wind taken into account, his chances weren't much better.

He turned to face Malco, who was still limp on the floor. Quote wasn't sure what to do about him, and the decision couldn't be taken lightly. While he welcomed any help he could get in fighting the Doctor, he also considered leaving his friend behind in the care of Kazuma and Professor Booster, where he would be safe. They could get him away from the island should his mission fail, and then at least one friend would have escaped. Then again, Quote thought about what Malco himself most likely would have said if he were online.

 ** _"_** ** _I've stuck with you this far, and I'll continue to support you as best as I can!"_**

That seemed about right. The main issue, then, was how he would be able to get the pair of them all the way up to the Plantation. Malco didn't have a jetpack of his own even if he did wake up, and the spaces between each ledge looked too wide for either of them to jump. Quote himself would have trouble even using the Booster pack, since his first attempts with it had been problematic due to his weight shifting him forwards while in flight. He vividly recalled slamming face-first into the cave walls several times while trying to return Polar Star.

 _"_ _Wait a minute…"_

Remembering that embarrassing experience gave him an idea. He still had the tow rope with him from when he'd used it to save Curly. Placing Malco in a similar position to how she had been, resting on his back, he tied himself to the robot by the waist. Immediately he realized that this would be far less comfortable than before. Malco was at least twenty-five percent heavier than the other soldier, and the sharp edges of his body annoyingly poked into him. It would have to do, though. Quote confirmed which of the ledges he would try to reach first and settled himself into a half-squat in preparation for takeoff.

Upon being given the wireless signal from his receptors (which still felt rather strange to consider), the Booster hummed to life and launched him into the air. Just as he'd hoped, having Malco tied to his back balanced out the weight, and as such they were carried straight up without unintentionally veering to the side. Quote was able to safely land on the first ledge, then the second, then the third. As he got higher and higher, though, a flaw in his plan to carry his friend reared its ugly head. The weight balance allowed them to fly comfortably, but walking across the rocky platforms became a frustrating and clumsy ordeal. Having to haul another person on his back in addition to the jetpack caused Quote to stumble and nearly fall from the cliff more than once. Every time his passenger shifted even slightly, the soldier would panic and scramble to readjust the tow rope. He didn't want to think about what could happen to either of them if they fell.

* * *

 **-Systems restarting**

 **-ID: RT9_Malco-Class_2**

 **-Password: XXXXXXX**

 **-Shutdown Synopsis: Overloaded processor (resolved), uncontrollable destructive tendencies (resolved), self-deactivation necessary**

 **-Damage Sustained: Negligible**

 **-Current Objective: Location unknown. Assess surroundings.**

Malco's internal systems booted up at last after a long period of cooldown. He was currently feeling the closest thing a robot of his design could to a splitting headache, and his vision was blurry due to the confusion. His eyes flickered on in their natural red light, and he tried to comprehend where he was. The last thing he remembered was shutting himself down in the Egg Corridor while viciously attacking something.

He didn't recognize his location. The cool temperature and brutal winds were a far cry from what he'd been used to while assisting his two friends. Had he been brought outside somehow? Why were his feet not on solid ground at the moment? Why was he apparently being propelled through the air by an unseen source? And why was he tied to something human-shaped by his waist?

 **"** **Where am I…?"**

"What the-"

Upon speaking, a startled voice replied and he felt himself shake roughly as whatever he was attached to wavered in its flight. As he tried to shift himself for a better view, it careened to the side and just barely managed to avoid slamming into a hard surface of some kind before collapsing onto a rocky platform.

"You could have given me a warning that you were awake," the voice grumbled. Malco was about to apologize before it occurred to him that the speaker sounded familiar- delightfully so.

 **"** **Quote?! You're okay!"**

He acted on impulse, which was rare for him to do, and hugged his friend tightly around the neck from behind. The soldier only struggled harder.

"Let go of me! I'm glad to see you again too, but we're not in the best place for that right now. If mess up, we might fall."

Malco did as requested, but his joy didn't fade. He was so convinced he'd lost his friends that the mere sound of Quote's voice made him ecstatic and eager to continue helping.

 **"** **Where are we? Where'd you and Curly go after I went in the teleporter ahead of you? Wait, where** ** _is_** **Curly?"**

"Hold still, I'll explain while we're going up."

Quote filled him in on everything that had happened since they separated: falling into the waterway, washing up at Mimiga Village, upgrading the Polar Star, and traversing the destroyed Egg Corridor. Malco was mostly silent during the discussion, but when told about his rampage he let out a horrified gasp. Not helping was the fact that he still held Napalm, the very weapon he'd used for it.

 **"** **I… I couldn't have attacked you… I'd never-"**

"You did," Quote said shortly. "But you shut down soon after. Did you know what you were doing?"

 **"** **Partially. I knew that if I didn't calm down I would ultimately put myself in unnecessary danger. Even so, I had no idea… I can't stress enough how sorry I am. I'll do my best to make it up to you."**

He could hear the soldier chuckling softly.

"You haven't changed, Malco."

 **"** **W-well,** ** _you_** **have. If my records are accurate, it wasn't until we first met Curly that you began to express yourself with more emotion."**

Quote went silent for a few seconds, making him consider that he may have accidentally struck a nerve by mentioning her. She was still missing, and the separation had clearly hit him harder than he was letting on. It wasn't until the end of their climb up the outer wall was in sight that he spoke up again.

"Can you try and find her? Connect to her receptors like you've been doing for us…"

 **"** **Certainly. One moment."**

Malco broadcasted his wireless signal as far as it could reach in an attempt to seek out their missing friend. Ordinarily a response would come in the form of a "Loud and Clear" code, at which point he would establish his connection. This time, however, he didn't receive a response of any kind. He retried no less than five times.

 **"** **I am unable to locate Curly… she may be somewhere out of my range, such as the Labyrinth, or… regrettably, it's possible that she-"**

Quote rocked without warning as they approached one of the final ledges, causing Malco to grip the tow rope binding them together. The disturbance hadn't been intentional, but more likely as a result of his displeasure in considering the possibilities. Neither of them said another word, not wanting to acknowledge the fact that their friend could still have been in the waterway, her drowned corpse endlessly cycling through different pipelines.

* * *

It had taken almost half an hour by his estimate, but Quote ultimately reached the top of the wall without injury. He landed on another metal strip and untied the tow rope, letting Malco stand up for himself. There was an indent in the rock wall to their left, in the middle of which was a simple wooden door. His legs and arms were incredibly fatigued from the stress of gripping to different surfaces on the way up- even with help from the Booster- but they were on solid ground at last.

 **"** **Well done! Thank you for carrying me with you, as well."**

Looking up at Malco, he gave him a short thumbs-up and continued to gasp for breath in the high altitude.

"No problem. Thank _you_ for being such a good counterbalance while we were flying."

The other robot gave a squawk of phony offense.

 **"** **Ah, so is that all I'm good for to you?"**

"Absolutely," he joked, hopping to his feet. "Come on, it's time to see what this Plantation has in store for us."


	37. Behind Enemy Lines

Chapter 37: Behind Enemy Lines

What, Quote wondered, could be through that simple-looking door? Minions of the Doctor, as the first line of defense? Balrog or Misery, ready to give them more trouble? Curly, miraculously alive and with that sweet, encouraging smile of hers ready to greet him and Malco? A group of frightened Mimiga in need of rescue?

His last guess was the most accurate. There was _one_ Mimiga in the small storage room through the door, but he scurried away behind a stack of metal crates before the soldier had a chance to identify anything specific about him. Theirs was a difficult and dangerous mission, but something about such a lackluster entrance had diminished any sort of "heroism" to it, not helped by Malco loudly asking from behind what the holdup was.

Quote shook off the thought. This was no time to worry about his own image as a hero. He didn't even care about it much; doing the right thing seemed to come naturally to him. Glamorizing it was selfish and- more importantly- a waste of time.

"D-d-d-don't kill me!" the terrified Mimiga squealed in a male voice that was almost unfittingly deep for that species. "I'm really a human who got transformed by magic! Honest!"

 **"** **We aren't here to hurt you,"** Malco replied as he walked in through the door. **"We're trying to stop the Doctor. You can come out, friend."**

Peeking his head out from behind the crates, the creature's face was illuminated by the room's one lightbulb. Suddenly Quote believed his story of being transformed artificially, as while he clearly wasn't human it was a stretch to say he even looked like a Mimiga. His head was too vertically long, he had almost no snout to speak of, his ears were twice the proper length, and a pair of oddly thick black eyebrows were furrowed suspiciously on his forehead, clashing against his otherwise snow-white fur. Strangest of all was what appeared to be two thin whiskers extending side to side from just below the middle of his face.

"You're not killer robots? You scared me half to death when you barged in here!" he fumed.

 **"** **Sorry about that**. **You say you were transformed?"**

The odd-looking Mimiga nodded with a scowl.

"One of the Doctor's new lackeys gave me this wonderful body. Her name's Misery."

 **"** **Quote! She did this to that Sue girl as well, right?"**

Before he had a chance to reply, he was cut off by the small creature.

"Momorin's daughter too?! I had no idea… oh, I should introduce myself. My name is Itoh. I was with the exploration party that came here to study this island. Once the Doctor found that damned crown of his, he decided to start performing experiments on Mimiga. His henchwoman turned me into this sloppy excuse for one out of a need for more test subjects, but I managed to hide. I've been stuck in here ever since."

"Kazuma and Professor Booster are waiting at the bottom of the wall," Quote replied. "If you can somehow get down to them, you might be able to escape on the dragon they have."

Itoh was clearly surprised at the news, but for some reason he clutched at his stomach and groaned.

"I'd try to, but I have a crippling fear of heights… ugh, I don't know why I wanted to come to this floating island in the first place."

 **"** **It definitely seems counter-productive,"** Malco chimed in, **"given your alleged phobia. But there are more pressing matters at hand. Do you have any advice for us in our fight against the Doctor?"**

The former human put a paw to his chin in thought.

"I've been hiding in here for so long that I don't know for sure what's going on. Something to do with flowers, and making an army… your best bet is probably finding Doctor Momorin Sakamoto, Sue and Kazuma's mother. She's much braver than I am; I'm sure she'll have an idea. Only problem is, I don't know where she's hiding. Sorry I can't be of more help."

Quote, during the conversation, had taken to inspecting some of the metal crates. One was packed with what he assumed were Itoh's food rations, another had been converted into a makeshift shelter, and the third- surprisingly- was full of missiles.

"Malco, can your new weapon be loaded with these?"

 **"** **Of course. Its primary projectiles are explosive fireballs, but standard missiles will also suffice."**

"Help yourself to them," Itoh offered. "If there's anything else you need, you know where to find me."

* * *

After reloading Napalm, Malco bid a short farewell to their newfound ally and proceeded through the storage room's other door. He and Quote entered into an utterly gigantic cave, constructed with multiple levels of wooden platforms with dirt-filled slots to grow as many plants as was possible with the allotted space. The plants in question were unfamiliar to him personally, but judging by his friend's disgusted expression he knew what they were. Seemingly endless rows of blood-red Demon Flowers sprouted before their very eyes, tended to by an alarming number of Mimiga slaves. Dozens of the furry creatures milled around the makeshift farms with various tools or entire bags of flower seeds.

 **"** **The Doctor seems to have gathered everyone on the island here. What should we do, destroy these flowers?"**

Quote looked out at the workers with a troubled expression.

"No… see how careful they're being with them? It looks like they're actually _enjoying_ this. They must not know what the flowers could do to them."

Malco saw what he was talking about. The Mimiga in the distance were tending to their twisted crops with a shocking amount of fondness. Some were even singing to themselves as they continued to plant or monitor a series of automatic sprinklers arranged throughout the area.

 **"** **That's horrible..."**

"Come on, let's find Momorin first like Itoh said. She might know what to do."

The door they'd entered through was tucked behind an alcove in the cavern wall, so the pair was able to slip into the Plantation without drawing attention to themselves. They walked behind one of the rows of sprouting flowers and came face to face with a trio of Mimiga planters. Strangely, they shot the two robots suspicious glares and didn't acknowledge them further. Even when Malco attempted to question them to get a better grasp of their surroundings, he was ignored.

"Who knows what kind of things the Doctor's been telling them about us?" Quote whispered to him. "If they trust him that much, we might not be able to get any help from them."

They moved on, keeping a low profile to avoid a new threat in the area: humongous golem-like creatures which stood at least ten feet tall, closely monitoring the Mimiga. Draped in tattered green robes and apparently comprised of dark orange stone, they might have been mistaken for statues if not for their occasional low grumbling noises. Their bulky forearms made Malco nervous; just one punch from the beasts looked like it could destroy them both. The quiet sentinels had no visible emotions with their vacant expressions and pure white eyes, which seemed to follow the robots as they skulked around the fields. Fortunately for them, the giants made no aggressive motions at all.

 **"** **Friends are in short supply here,"** Malco remarked in a quiet voice, **"but maybe if we can find the residents of Mimiga Village they could offer some form of assistance."**

* * *

Quote was admittedly at a bit of a loss on what to do next. Doctor Momorin Sakamoto, according to Itoh, was hiding _somewhere_ in the Plantation, but he didn't know where to even begin looking. Malco's advice sounded the most reasonable to him for the time being.

Continuing to walk, they soon came across the source of the sprinklers' water. A massive lake sprawled across an entire quarter of the cave's floor, constantly provided with fresh water by a pipe in the wall, emptying out into it with a steady stream. The reservoir was filled with aquatic plants, and he could make out fish lazily swimming, oblivious to all the troubles of the Mimiga race.

Speaking of which, one of the creatures was sitting alone at the water's edge, holding a fishing rod. His clothes and fur weren't covered in dirt like the others they'd seen, making him especially distinct. The Mimiga heard their approaching footsteps and turned to face Quote with an unassuming glance.

"Hey there. You here to fish too? They're not really biting today, but that's never stopped me."

"No, we're busy at the moment…"

He shrugged and cast his line out into the water.

"Suit yourself. Wait a sec, have we met before?"

Thinking back, Quote remembered that they had indeed spoken in the past.

"Yeah, now I remember you!" the Mimiga said with a grin. "You were asking about Sue back in the village. Nice to see you again, even if we are stuck here. Did that witch Misery zap you up here too?"

Malco answered first.

 **"** **We climbed up from the side of the island. You're the first person here to actually speak to us, you know."**

"Makes sense to me. The Doctor's been telling us that we need to grow these red flowers so we can fight back against an invading army of 'killer robots.' I don't really buy it, but I can't say anything or else I'll get locked up with the others."

He reeled in his line a bit before continuing, gesturing to Quote.

"Besides, you're a robot but you seemed like an alright guy when I met you back in the village. I didn't start panicking like everyone else here."

So even this Mimiga had been able to tell what he was before he could. Wonderful.

 **"** **You mentioned 'others,'"** Malco pressed. **"Who do you mean by that?"**

"The rest of us from Mimiga Village. Jack, Mahin, Sandaime… I think Sue's in there too. They openly resisted the Doctor, so he threw them in jail without a second thought."

While Quote only recognized Jack and Sue out of the names he'd said, that information was a very good start for their mission. If anyone were to know the location of Momorin, it would most likely be her daughter. He was about to leave to find the jail, but Malco didn't seem to have finished his questioning.

 **"** **What are you doing out here? Aren't you forced to work on the farms?"**

"It's pretty easy to slip out under the noses- or lack thereof- of those Drolls guarding us. For all their strength they aren't too bright. Farming's boring anyway, fishing is way more exciting. Just you, your wits, and the strength of your arm-"

As if on cue, the Mimiga yanked upwards on his rod and drew a sizeable fish out of the water. He tossed it into a bucket beside him and cast the line out once more.

"Finally, a catch. As I was saying, you also never know what you'll find down here by the reservoir."

Anxious to get a move on by that point, Quote turned to leave again before a final comment caused him to freeze in his tracks.

"A little while ago someone weird washed up here. She fell out of that pipe in the wall and wound up in the mud nearby. I'm pretty sure she was also a robot, since she had pure white skin just like you."

Suddenly he was _very_ interested in hearing what the Mimiga had to say. Quote spun around to see the small creature had an amused grin.

"Where- where is-" he sputtered, his desperation presumably clear.

Still chuckling to himself, the fisherman pointed towards a barely-visible door hidden behind a rocky pillar on the other side of the lake.

"I didn't get much of a look at her, but I did see some guy in a green robe dragging her that way. The way he was moving her, she seemed pretty banged-up. Wonder if she's okay…"

Quote blurted out a hasty "thank you" before sprinting as fast as he could toward the door. Stopping just short of kicking it down, he flung it open with his heart racing. The only feature of the cramped room was a worn bed, but that was irrelevant compared to who was laid out in it. Her chest rose and fell lightly with her breaths, confirming that Curly Brace was indeed alive. A sense of utter euphoria spread through him, but it diminished drastically as he got closer.

The damage was almost too much to believe. Her skin had been torn in several spots to reveal frayed wires and plating underneath, one of her arms was bent in what was certainly the wrong direction (with her legs not being in much better condition), and countless scratches and ugly black bruises lined the rest of her body. From behind her messy hair, her deep blue eyes opened to get a look at him. Quote would have been surprised if the anguish in his face at her condition wasn't obvious; seeing her in this state was utter hell for the soldier.

And then, in a soft croak of a voice, she finished him off.

"Who… are you?"


	38. Carry On

Chapter 38: Carry On

It was a joke. It had to be some twisted joke. At any moment she'd begin to laugh and tease him for being so concerned, then hop out of the bed to rejoin him. And yet she didn't do any of that. Quote's heart had been racing in anticipation of meeting Curly again, but now it seemed to have stopped. She was staring up at him with an expression of utter confusion. It struck him hard just how foreign the look was on her.

"C… Curly…" he somehow managed to choke out, "what are you talking about? It's me, Quote. We're- we're friends…"

"I'm sorry, sir. Really. But I don't know who you are, or even who _I_ am. I'm trying my hardest, but nothing's coming to me. Who are you?"

She had repeated her question. Those three words were more painful than anything the Doctor and all the monsters of the island had thrown at him. Quote stood there, his gaze locked with hers, and in her eyes he could see that the friend he'd held so dearly was gone. His first instinct was to embrace her, pick her up, help her leave that room, _anything_ for her, but her damage was so extensive that he feared even putting a finger on Curly's body would cause her pain.

Malco's footsteps came up behind him as he finally managed to catch up to the soldier. Quote barely even noticed, instead wrestling with the ten-ton weight that seemed to be crushing his chest. She didn't recognize him… the reality sank in at an agonizingly slow pace. Then, all of a sudden, the pain stopped. Not in a good way, either.

He felt numb.

* * *

Her head was killing her already, and this wasn't helping. She continued to look at this strange person who'd just barged in, trying as hard as she could to figure out who he was. He'd introduced himself as Quote… she liked that name, but it was entirely unfamiliar to her.

Based on the desperation in his eyes and the way he looked at her injuries with a horrified grimace, it was clear that Quote knew _her_ somehow. She genuinely wished she could understand how they were familiar, and offer some consolation to the devastated stranger, but her mind was a total blank. As saddened as she was to see him so upset, she could only imagine how he _felt_.

Another person walked in behind him. He had a similar look of alarm on his metal, rectangular face, but nowhere close to the level that Quote had.

 **"** **She's alive… I see, her receptor antennae have been damaged. That explains why I wasn't able to contact her."**

Whatever he was talking about was beyond her understanding.

 **"** **Are you okay, Curly?"**

Both of them had called her that. Was it her name?

"I d-don't remember either of you…"

* * *

Malco was upset to learn that Curly had lost her memory, yet not completely surprised. Having nearly drowned in the waterway and no doubt been tossed roughly through the pipe, it was a wonder that memory loss was the worst thing that had happened to her. The damage she'd sustained was not mending itself like it should have been, indicating that her auto-repair systems had malfunctioned as well.

"Let's go."

Quote had turned around and stood in the doorway with his back to Curly. His voice lacked all emotion, sounding hollow and unfeeling. It was frighteningly similar to how he'd spoken back when they first met in the Bushlands.

 **"** **Are you okay?"**

"No. Come on, we need to find Sue."

Giving one last apologetic look to Curly in her bed, Malco followed him out. He was afraid to say anything now out of fear of the reaction he might get.

"Ah… I suspected I would meet you here, gentlemen…"

The lizard-like, raspy voice came from somewhere to their right. Clad as usual in his green hood and with only the lower half of his scaly orange face showing, Cthulhu greeted them both with a toothy smile.

"Fascinating," he hissed slowly, "to see a robot with such strong affection. My sincerest apologies for listening in on your conversation with Miss Brace… I didn't know it was possible for you to feel this way about someone."

Malco realized that the reptilian man wasn't talking to him specifically.

"Her condition is pitiful, no? The poor girl cannot even recall her own name… I assume she is beyond her usefulness to you now. Just another pile of scrap, like the robots from so long ago."

In a blur of movement that was nearly too fast for Malco to keep track of, Quote lunged at Cthulhu and rammed a fist into the middle of his face. The hooded man staggered from the blow, but his smile only widened despite trace amounts of blood being visible in his mouth.

"Heh heh heh…"

The soldier didn't let up and charged to strike again. His wild punch was easy for Cthulhu to dodge, and Quote paid for it when his target raised a scaly finger. Through some unseen force, he was launched through the air and landed hard on his side.

"Ha ha ha ha! Such a fierce spirit…"

Malco wasn't about to stand there and watch his friend get hurt. His hands moved quickly to aim Napalm, but by the same telekinesis which affected Quote he found himself unable to move. Cthulhu sneered under his hood.

"Your concern for your companion is remarkable indeed. There may be a way to help her, you know…"

Quote was dragging himself to his feet.

"What are you talking about? You'd better not be joking."

They had little reason to trust the hooded being at this point, but Malco knew that if anything could be done for Curly they would have to consider it.

"I retrieved her belongings from the lake not long ago," Cthulhu said. "She carried only two items: her gun and a small jar of a red substance."

"Jenka's healing potion?" Quote asked. "Do you still have it?"

He reached somewhere into his robes and retrieved both the jar and the Snake rifle.

"I cannot promise that she will remember anything, but if you were to give her this potion her wounds would surely repair themselves."

Cthulhu tossed both items to Quote, who stared back at him with what Malco could best describe as an uncertain glare.

"I am not attempting to deceive you. Go, tend to her. With her injuries, her time may be limited…"

* * *

While he barely trusted the hooded reptile person, Quote was desperate to help Curly however possible. Tightly gripping the jar, he reentered the small room with Malco close behind him. He didn't know if this would work at all, but by that point he was willing to do _anything_ if there was a chance of it somehow bringing his friend back to him. Even that awkward draining procedure would have been tolerable.

She was still flat on her back, sound sleep. Her eyes were closed and she didn't react to their approaching footsteps. Had it not been for the painful-looking tears in her skin, Quote might have found the sight comforting.

"Here goes nothing…"

He twisted open the potion's lid, immediately confronted by the rancid smell it gave off. It must have been shut for decades, possibly even centuries. If the situation weren't so dire he'd have felt bad about forcing Curly to drink it. Quote tenderly pulled down on her chin to open her mouth and poured a small amount of the thick liquid in. Due to her lacking a proper throat, it slid into her lower body without needing to be swallowed. He continued the process until the jar was empty.

 **"** **Look! Her injuries!"**

Malco didn't need to point it out, as Quote could see for himself that the potion was working. Curly's skin was beginning to neatly reattach itself, any exposed wires returned to their proper places, and her limbs reoriented themselves. She didn't stir from her slumber, but soon enough she looked to be in as pristine a condition as he remembered. Even her clothes mended themselves, surprisingly. Whatever Jenka had used in that concoction was powerful.

From outside, Cthulhu beckoned for them.

"I will keep watch over her while she recovers… the two of you should hurry along if you wish to prevent a repeat of the disaster from years ago."

 **"** **Curly's still unconscious,"** Malco said, **"but I can connect to her receptors again. She should be physically fine, at least."**

Quote nodded without a word. His thoughts remained on her memory loss; he didn't know what he would do if she still couldn't recognize him.

 **"** **For now, we should split up to cover more ground. I'll inform you if I find Sue or her mother, and in case you do I'll occasionally check in."**

"Alright. Do you want Curly's gun for now?"

Malco shook his head.

 **"** **I can still rely on Napalm if things get hectic. I may not have your combat prowess, but this weapon will hopefully compensate. Leave it here with her for whenever she awakens. What she does with herself then is her choice."**

With that, and one more concerned glance at their unconscious friend, the two parted ways. Cthulhu waved to them as they left.

 _"_ _I should start by finding where that jail is…"_

Quote walked along the right side of the path they'd initially entered by while Malco took the left. Craning his head as far as he could, the soldier tried to get a glimpse of an appropriate-looking building. There was none in sight, and what he wound up finding was far from desired. As he walked around a patch of healthy Demon Flowers, he heard a deep shout of "Killer robot!" Quote was just able to get a glimpse of a giant orange fist speeding toward his face before everything went dark.


	39. Lost and Found

Chapter 39: Lost and Found

Unbeknownst to Malco, he was doing a far better job of going unnoticed than Quote. He didn't want to check with the soldier so soon, as it was doubtful he'd found anything by that point.

 ** _"_** ** _I hope he's doing okay…"_**

He was familiar enough with him by that point to know that something had broken inside Quote just before. The look on his face when they'd found out that Curly had lost her memory didn't even begin to describe how he must have felt. Those two were closer than either of them likely understood, and while Malco was definitely accepted as a friend by the pair, theirs was a different kind of bond. He only hoped that Curly would be able to remember Quote, otherwise the soldier might have lost all of his motivation.

No sign of a jail so far. Malco passed by several clusters of Mimiga workers, all of whom ignored him like the ones from earlier. It was a little disheartening to not have a chance to interact with the creatures, as he had the least experience with them out of all three robots. Maybe once this was all over, he could properly introduce himself to them.

His footsteps, which had previously been making a soft thudding sound as he walked across the soil, abruptly changed to a hollow, metallic bang. Surprised, he looked down at the floor to see what he'd stepped on. It was some sort of metal panel, half-buried in the dirt and concealing what sounded like an empty space beneath. Malco pulled the panel as hard as he could, sliding it backwards to reveal a narrow staircase leading further underground. The hidden passageway didn't seem like something the Doctor would use for his prison, but there had to be _something_ interesting at the bottom of it.

After checking to make sure that nobody was watching him, he walked down the stairs and found himself at a wooden door. Logically, such a hidden location wasn't meant to be accessed by just anyone, so rather than try to open it he instead knocked on the side. Quick footsteps could be heard behind it, and after a few seconds a small peephole slid open near the top. A pair of dark brown eyes stared down at him, narrowing when they met his bright red photoreceptor lenses.

"What's the password?" asked an adult woman's voice.

 **"** **There's a password? I'm here with-"**

Apparently dissatisfied with his answer, the person behind the door shut the peephole and refused to speak again. Malco considered blowing it open with Napalm for a moment, but didn't let the minor annoyance get to him. It made perfect sense for her not to trust anyone in such a location; for all she knew, he was with the Doctor.

Retreating back up the stairs, he put the metal panel back over the entrance and mentally recorded its location for later. It was just a hunch, but he suspected that he'd found Doctor Momorin Sakamoto's hiding place. Malco attempted to contact Quote to relay the good news.

Strangely, he wasn't answering. His signal was still clear, but for some reason the soldier wouldn't respond to his connection. As troubled as that made him, he forgot all about it for the moment when a _different_ communication link was answered.

* * *

 _"_ _Hey! Hey you, wake up! Are you dead or something?!"_

Quote could hear a faint voice calling for him, but he didn't drift back into consciousness for at least another half hour. Once he was finally awake, he sat up from where he lay with a moan of pain. His face felt like it had been mercilessly smashed in… oh, right. It really had been. One of those golem creatures- "Drolls," as that fishing Mimiga called them- had knocked him out. Where was he now?

His surroundings were universally made of dark blue rocks with natural, rough edges. So rough, in fact, he figured that whoever had brought him there appeared to have laid him down on the smoothest possible part of the floor. A sturdy gate of iron bars blocked off the small cavern from the rest of the plantation, and the door leading past them was shut tight with no handle on his side of it.

Well, at least he'd found the jail he was looking for.

Quote's nostrils flared upon detecting the smell of Mimiga fur, which he surprisingly hadn't been overwhelmed with in the Plantation (likely due to the scent of Demon Flowers tainting the air). Three of the small creatures were in the cell with him. He recognized one as Jack, the number-two from the village, and another as the farmer he'd briefly spoken to after first arriving. The last one- dressed in a simple green shirt that did nothing to hide how alarmingly fat he was for his size- was unfamiliar to the soldier.

"Oh, you're finally awake." Jack said. "You've been out for a while. Sue was in here before, trying to wake you up as much as she could. Some of the Doctor's minions came by and took her away, though."

"You should have seen it," the extra-large one added, stuffing his face with some unidentifiable fruit. "She was poking and shaking you really hard, but you just wouldn't come to."

Jack glared at him.

"For crying out loud, Mahin, haven't we told you to swallow before talking? You get your food all over yourself already."

As the two argued, Quote dusted himself off. Nothing in his face was broken- amazingly- and he hadn't even been relieved of his weapons. Bubbline, Spur, and King's sword sat on the ground nearby. That fisherman was right; Drolls were rather dumb by all standards.

The farmer Mimiga approached him with a smile.

"Sue must care for you a lot, based on how worried she looked. Before she was taken away, I think I saw her sneak something into your pocket."

Intrigued, he dug around in his pants before finding a folded letter. The handwriting was sloppy- not having thumbs must have made writing difficult- but legible all the same.

 _"_ _Dear Quote,_

 _It's me, Sue. In case I don't see you again, I guess I should tell you about how this whole mess started. I was dragged to this island with my Mom, Kazuma, Professor Booster, some research assistants… and Fuyuhiko Date, the Doctor. He somehow managed to force his way into our group as a medical specialist, insisting that he should come along with us for our own safety. Nobody trusted him from the get-go, but one way or another he wound up tagging along._

 _At some point, he found this weird artifact called the Demon Crown and declared himself our new master. He revealed that he'd known about it way before we came to this island, and that the only reason he wanted to come along was so he could find it. The powers it granted him were too much for us to handle, and two beings named Misery and Balrog awakened to do his bidding as well. Our only choices were to continue researching the island under his control, or be killed. I managed to escape him at first, but most of the other people we came here with are dead._

 _The Doctor is barely even human on the inside. You need to stop him before he has a chance to attack the surface. All the Mimiga here will be fed those red flowers and turned into monsters for his own army, and since I've become a Mimiga I'm sure the same will happen to me. The Demon Crown lets him control them once they've mutated, leaving him with the perfect force of killing machines for his conquest. He wants to rule the world with this island as his fortress, plain and simple. I even hear rumors among the workers that not even the flowers are good enough for him, and he's working on something more powerful…_

 _If my Mom is still alive, she's holed up in a secret bunker around here and working on a plan to beat the Doctor. The password is 'yrots evac,' so if you can get out of here please do whatever you can to help her. We're all counting on you._

 _-Sue Sakamoto_

 _P.S.: I don't know if you've seen him, but there's someone on this island wearing a green hood. Once the Demon Crown was claimed, he began to appear at random times, watching us from afar… he must know something. If you see him, find out what his deal is."_

Quote put the letter back in his pocket and thought about what she'd said. Learning that the Doctor actually had a name was a surreal experience, as he had long since separated any human qualities from the wretched man. He needed to find Sue's mother, but none of his weapons appeared capable of busting him out of that cramped cell. It seemed that he was stuck for the moment… perhaps Malco could think of a solution, yet for some reason he wasn't making contact like he'd promised.

The three Mimiga were suddenly staring at the left-hand wall with their ears twitching. Quote didn't hear anything at first, but it soon became clear that a light crunching noise was making its way toward them. Eventually a chunk of the rock wall crumbled and fell apart, revealing a narrow tunnel which had been dug into the cell. Even more surprising than the unexpected rescue mission was the person who had carried it out. A headful of dirtied but still vibrant blonde hair poked into the confined space, and a pair of bright blue eyes looked over the four occupants.

"Hey guys, come on out through here. You should all be able to fit. No time to waste, people, let's go!"

A feeling Quote couldn't explain was surging through him as their rescuer made eye contact with him at last. She said nothing specific to him, but the look on her face told him everything he needed to know at that moment.

She recognized him.

"Come on, don't just stand there!" Curly said. "Quick, before someone comes to check on you!"

The soldier wasn't one to exaggerate, but for a brief moment he wondered if the island in the sky had analyzed his situation and sent its finest angel to help. At any other time he might have criticized himself for such a ridiculous comparison, but right then he was just too happy to think of anything else.


	40. Refreshed

Chapter 40: Refreshed

 _Earlier…_

Curly snapped awake and shot up in the bed, panting as if having been disturbed from a nightmare. Her head was spinning, but aside from that nothing hurt at all despite the extent of her former injuries. Everything felt clear to her, and she could suddenly remember _everything_ about herself. It was almost too much for the soldier to handle, as memory upon memory came flooding back to her. That could be dealt with later, though; she needed to find her friends right away. They'd both visited her while she was still suffering from amnesia, and then they had gone somewhere…

"Ah, you are awake," a snakelike voice said. Standing nearby was Cthulhu, with a pleasant yet still somehow creepy smile. "How do you feel, Miss Brace?"

She looked down at herself again in disbelief. All of her wounds had healed perfectly, and even her clothes were good as new.

"I'm much better now, and my memories are back… what happened?"

The hooded being's grin widened.

"Your friends came back to see you, but you were unconscious by then. While you slept, that other soldier tipped a red potion into your throat for you to recover… they left soon after. I assume the medicine came from the witch Jenka?"

Curly nodded without a word to confirm his suspicion.

"Most interesting. I have heard tales of a special mushroom which can cure amnesia, but have never been able to find it myself. It would appear that Jenka included such a valuable fungus in her potion. Heh heh heh… how lucky."

The soldier was only half listening to him, as her thoughts were mostly on Quote now. She could remember everything, which unfortunately included how he had looked when she was bedridden. Thinking about the utter devastation on his face, and how he'd desperately tried to bring her back to him, was heartbreaking for her. She needed to find him immediately, as in addition to making up for her absence she had something important to say regarding both of them.

"They left your weapon with you," Cthulhu elaborated, pointing to where the Snake rifle sat propped up next to the bed. Curly almost didn't recognize it; aside from its basic shape it looked nothing like the gun she'd been using for a while due to its sleek blue and black coloration as opposed to red. "I took it upon myself to enhance it with the strongest magic I could conjure… I call it Nemesis, if it suits you."

She swung her legs off the bed and picked up the gun. Its raw power due to the magical boost made her skin crawl, and she could tell that she was wielding a much deadlier weapon now. Holding it still felt familiar, though, and it didn't weigh any more or less than it had previously.

"Nemesis, huh? I think I like that name. Thank you. Now I need to find my friends and get back to the fight."

"They were very concerned for your safety…" he chuckled.

Curly hopped off the bed and stretched out her limbs, ready for action at last. Before leaving, however, she turned to face Cthulhu with a question on her mind.

"Quote recognized you from before the Sand Zone, you sent Malco to the Labyrinth to join us, and now you're helping me with magic powers… just who are you, anyway?"

The reptilian person wasn't smiling any more. Under his hood, she could make out a pair of narrowing white eyes and a serious frown.

"…that is of no concern at the moment. Go, find your companions. You must defeat the new owner of the Demon Crown."

Before she could say anything else, he had closed the door to the small room. In the blink of an eye, the entrance vanished without a trace and left her staring dumbly at a blank rock wall.

Not even ten minutes after getting her memory back, she was already confused. Curly sighed and turned to face the enormous cave she'd wound up in. Demon Flowers were everywhere, their revoltingly sweet scent making her nose twitch. Even worse was the sight of countless white specks in the distance tending to them- Mimiga. Once she found her friends, they would probably be able to fill her in on the details… and she could tell Quote all about his past.

The issue of where to find them hardly troubled her, as she realized that Malco had been attempting to make contact for quite a while.

"Hey, can you hear me?"

 **"** **C-Curly?!"** the robot squawked, clearly not expecting a response from her. **"You still may not remember us, but have your wounds been repaired?"**

"Yeah, they have. And I _do_ remember; I'll prove it. You and Quote are my friends, and I think we all got separated back in the Labyrinth. Now we can stop the Doctor together."

She swore she could hear him cheering even from the other side of the massive cave in addition to her receptors. His familiar enthusiasm brought a smile to her face

 **"** **I'm so relieved you're back! We have little time to spare, so I'll keep this brief: we are looking for Sue and her mother, Doctor Momorin Sakamoto. I think I've found the latter, but she refuses to speak to me without a password of some kind. Quote and I split up to ease our search, and now he won't respond to my communications. I don't know where he is."**

Curly tried to keep up with all of that so she could figure out how to help. Hearing the report of Quote being missing in action made her stomach twist around nervously.

 **"** **You don't appear to have moved far from where we found you. Quote branched off to the right of that reservoir, while I moved left. I am on the opposite end of the Plantation now, but I'll make my way back toward you now."**

"Got it, I'll look for him while you're on your way."

 **"** **It's fantastic to hear from you again… over and out."**

With that, she was alone again. Curly began her search right away, sneaking through the patches of Demon Flowers. She noticed that the vile plants grew unnaturally fast, sprouting from stems that reached heights taller than her. Their bright red color was all around her, a haunting reminder of what she was trying to stop.

Mimiga ambled around the fields, hard at work carrying bags of seeds and gardening tools. When she tried to warn them about what they were doing, however, none of them paid her any mind. Some even shot her dirty looks as she pleaded for them to stop. Sighing, she eventually gave up her attempts and continued moving. Quote was still nowhere to be found.

"Psst! Over here!"

The whisper sounded like a young boy, with a voice that Curly almost immediately recognized. Turning to confirm who had spoken, her face lit up when she saw one of the Colons- Sammy, she called him- standing behind a small tool shed. The short Mimiga was beckoning for her to come closer, looking around to ensure they weren't being watched. She wasted no time in running over, and to her delight the other three children were with him as well. Their fur was covered in dirt, and they smelled like they hadn't been bathed in days, but none of them had been harmed by the looks of it.

"Y-you're all okay! I'm… I'm so happy to see you again!" she practically squealed. The Colons smiled back at her, but Sammy was making a hushing sound with his mouth.

"Please, don't be too loud! If we're seen talking to you, we could be thrown in jail!"

Curly's expression darkened at the thought. Anyone who dared to lay a finger on her children would learn a new meaning of the word "suffering."

"Why? What's going on here?"

"The Doctor told us that we need to grow these red flowers to help fight the killer robots coming to get us," he said miserably. "We know he's a bad man, but most of the others here don't believe us. They think he's keeping them safe… now we're not allowed to talk to any humans or robots if they get here."

Her heart was ready to break in two at how upset the children looked, but she could also see hope in their eyes. They were counting on her.

"Well… don't you worry, gang. I'm here with some friends, and we're gonna stop him before he can hurt anyone. Alright?"

The Colons let out hushed whoops and cheers, moving forward to give her a group hug. Curly embraced them with open arms, vowing that nothing bad would ever happen to them again on her watch.

"Have any of you seen Mister Quote? You remember meeting him back home, right? I'm trying to catch up with him, since he needs my help."

Another Mimiga, this one a young girl named Mira, chimed in frantically.

"I did! I saw a Droll carrying him away before! He was sleeping, I think."

Quote had been captured? By "sleeping" she assumed he was actually knocked out, which only made her more anxious to find him. The Colons could see the concern in her expression, judging by how quickly they began pointing out which way the jail was. Her eyes traced a path around another group of Demon Flowers and down a small tunnel toward a metal door. One of the orange golem creatures she'd seen wandering around stood guard with the same vacant stare as its kin.

"As much as I'd like to, I don't think I can just blow my way through him without alerting anyone else. Is there any other way into the cells?"

The little girl was suddenly pushing a sturdy shovel into her arms. It was small for her, meant to be used by Mimiga on the farm, but it would have to do.

"Use that to dig your way in! We'll keep him distracted for you."

Curly beamed lovingly at the four children. She hadn't realized just how much she missed them during the adventure with Quote and Malco, and now that they were reunited she would do everything she could to save them.

"Alright, sounds good to me. I want you guys to walk away from here by yourselves so nobody suspects we were together. After that, I'll go save Quote. Please be careful with the flowers…"

Nodding in unison, the Colons scurried off to continue their duties on the farm. It pained her to see them so close to the one plant that they were never supposed to encounter, but she focused on her own task. The Mimiga worked right in front of the Droll guarding the jail, keeping its gaze fixed on them. Gripping the shovel, Curly began to dig into the wall around the corner.

As luck would have it, her makeshift tunnel ran straight into the cell. She was sore from having to crawl through, and her hair was absolutely filthy, but nevertheless she'd finally made it all the way inside. Three Mimiga stared at her in bewilderment, and she whispered for them to escape through her tunnel.

Then she saw him.

Quote was also staring at her, but his expression was less of surprise and more disbelief. It made sense to Curly; he must have assumed she would never remember him. The thought tugged at her figurative heartstrings, but there was no time to stand idly in the cell. She crawled back out through the tunnel, leaving the shovel behind. Once she had emerged from the jail, she helped pull the three Mimiga out with her (having slight difficulties with the plus-sized one who refused to put down whatever fruit he was eating), then extended a hand to do the same for her fellow soldier.

"Malco says he's on his way toward this side of the cave. If he can still see the same things as me then he should be able to find us-"

She was cut off with a gasp as, once Quote had been pulled from the tunnel, he didn't stop moving and instead attacked her with a viciously tight embrace. It was even more passionate than the hug she'd given him back in the Labyrinth. "Unlike him" was a drastic understatement for how much emotion he clearly put into it. His face was buried in her shoulder, and she could feel him trembling lightly as he squeezed her. The three Mimiga he was with were staring at them, but neither soldier cared. Somewhere off to the side, the Colons looked on while keeping the Droll distracted. All four of the children had goofy smiles on their face as they continued to work.

Malco's running footsteps approached from behind.

 **"** **Aha, there you are…"**

His voice trailed off when he saw them in each other's arms. Curly gave him a smile, happy to see him as well.

"You'll get your hug soon."

The robot held up a hand, shaking his head.

 **"** **That won't be necessary, but thank you. I'm content seeing you both safe."**

"Don't," Quote whispered, "ever do that to me again…"

It seemed that not even his devastated expression when she didn't remember him reflected how badly her amnesia had affected her friend. He repeated that sentence several more times, not as a command but as a plea.

"Oh, Quote… heh, it's not like you to be so mushy."

She gently rubbed his back to comfort him.

"You really missed me, huh? I missed you too. Hey, I have something important you should know."

They reluctantly separated from one another, yet he still kept her hands in his as if afraid she'd vanish once he let go. Curly found it rather cute but didn't distract herself from what needed to be said.

"I don't just remember you and Malco. I remember _everything_ , even back to the war. We shouldn't talk about it here, though. Those Drolls might find us."

"Sue gave me a letter," Quote replied, "telling me to find her mother's hideout."

Malco cut in after him.

 **"** **I believe I've found it! It's on the opposite end of the Plantation, so we can hear your story on the way. Shall we get going?"**

Nodding, Curly beckoned for the Colons to follow her. They conferred with each other for a moment, then collectively shook their heads. Sammy rushed over to explain.

"There's already six of you. If we all go together, we'd be too easy to notice. We'll stay here so nobody gets suspicious."

Her heart swelled at their nobleness. She may not have truly been their mother, but words couldn't express how proud she was of them.

"We'll be okay, we promise! Go kick butt for us!"

The Colons all waved at her and left to continue their work elsewhere. Quote, Malco, and the three escaped Mimiga looked to her as she bade them a tearful farewell (minus the tears, since she couldn't technically cry).

"We need to win, for their sakes… for _everyone's_ sakes. Malco, can you bring us to this hideout?"

He nodded.

"Okay, lead the way. I'll tell you what I remember as we walk."


	41. The Truth

Chapter 41: The Truth

 _Ten years prior, during the Demon Crown War…_

More accurately, _after_ the war. Bloody fighting had erupted all across the floating island after reports of an unimaginably powerful artifact came in from the first few teams of scout robots. Most of the countries of the surface world, enticed by the thought of owning the Demon Crown for themselves, had unleashed their strongest mechanical soldiers to retrieve it… as well as to cut down anyone in the way. Thousands of Mimiga and human settlers were killed, either through direct attacks from the robots or from merely being caught in the crossfire as the armies of nations all over the world clashed.

The carnage lasted four months before the Demon Crown was found, and just as quickly as the war had begun the island fell silent. Most of the remaining robots were either recalled to the surface by the defeated countries or simply ordered to deactivate on the spot. Their corpses were nowhere near as abundant as those of the innocent they had slaughtered, and yet the disaster was only just beginning.

Among the robotic armies was a single human soldier, General Miakido. A hulking, broad-chested man with a permanent scowl on his face, he led his troops to ultimately claim the magical artifact they had so violently sought. His aggressive and proud disposition made it easy for the Demon Crown to corrupt him, however, and not even a minute after putting the item on he had declared himself the new king of the entire world. Worse still, he was set to command an even deadlier army.

In a desperate attempt to keep themselves safe during the war, countless Mimiga resorted to eating the dangerous red flowers native to the island, mutating into horrifying Ravil monsters which could tear through entire squads of soldier robots singlehandedly. Miakido, with the artifact's power, soon realized that he was able to control the beasts. He subsequently planned to show off his newfound dominance to the world by releasing an army of Ravil onto the surface below. Against such terrible might, nobody dared to oppose him.

Nobody save for two particular robots.

A coalition of engineers, scientists, and combat experts from various countries had banded together during the war to create the strongest soldiers mankind possibly could. Understanding the potential dangers of the artifact their governments sought after, they ordered their fearsome duo to track down and destroy the Demon Crown before any more harm could come from it. They had not landed on the island until after the fighting had concluded, however, and were greeted with the sight of never-ending Mimiga corpses. In some areas, the two couldn't walk so much as fifty paces without seeing another charred, decapitated, crushed, or generally mutilated body.

Disturbing sights aside, very little could physically impede their progress. Any hostile creatures that attempted to ambush the pair were made short work of, and even Miakido's remaining robots were no match for them. Their top-level programming and impeccable teamwork carried them through the island all the way to the throne room at its balcony, where they confronted the twisted General together.

* * *

As they climbed one final staircase, Curly noticed something off about her partner. Quote, armed with a double-barreled shotgun and a small revolver, was taking deeper breaths than normal as they approached their target. Over two hours of continuous fighting were beginning to take their toll on him- on both of them- but they simply couldn't spare the time to rest. Miakido's Ravil army had already started deploying onto the surface, organized and united under the power of the Demon Crown. If they failed to destroy it, all hope would be lost.

"You holding up alright?" she asked, walking beside him.

"Not really," he admitted. He looked far less composed than her. "There's a lot at stake right now."

Curly let out a sigh.

"Yeah, I know. We're the last hopes for the world, after all. If we don't put a stop to this, I doubt anyone will."

"Think we can do it?"

"We've made it this far together, haven't we?" she replied with a small grin. "As long as we can keep the General on the defensive, we should be able to wear him down eventually. Or we can try to destroy the Demon Crown right away. That'll leave him powerless and make it easier for us to beat him."

Quote gave a hollow chuckle.

"That's if we _can_ damage it. Our info on it is substantially lacking, so we really have no idea what we're up against. We could take one step into the room and be fried immediately."

"Always the optimist," she muttered under her breath. "We can't afford to doubt ourselves now. Let's just give it our all."

The pair soon came to the last thing standing between them and Miakido: a large stone door, covered in ornate carvings with a strange focus on eye-shaped symbols. Curly stifled a gasp when she felt Quote slip his hand into hers and give it a gentle squeeze. They hadn't known each other for long since their activation, but the two had a certain connection that nothing could break. Perhaps they had been programmed to get along for the sake of their assignment, or perhaps they just worked well together on their own merits. Either way, the two soldiers knew that without each other they had no chance of succeeding.

"Hey, Curly?"

"Hm?"

He was silent for a moment.

"Whatever happens… it was good to have your back on this mission."

Her face flushed a light pink, and she giggled at him.

"I wish I could get that in writing, this way I'll always be able to prove you said it. Tell you what, if we get out of this in one piece I'm going to frame that sentence and put it on a wall somewhere."

Quote smirked.

"We will get out of this. Even if I have to carry you out on my back, we're going to finish this job together."

"That's what I like to hear. Ready to save the world?"

Her friend held his shotgun ready, a determined look in his eyes.

"Affirmative. Let's go with Formation 3-C."

"With me leading or you?"

"Ladies first."

Curly rolled her eyes and primed her light machine gun.

"Such a gentleman. Let's do this!"

Wasting no time with a dramatic walk into the throne room, she instead burst through the door and opened fire on General Miakido immediately while Quote stood behind her. The olive-skinned human was taken aback by the sudden offensive and very narrowly rolled out of harm's way. Atop his bald head sat the Demon Crown, its large red eye staring straight at them.

"Now!"

Curly sank onto one knee as they'd agreed upon with their decision on a battle formation, letting her gun cool off from her initial assault. Quote, still behind her, laid down more fire on their opponent with his shotgun. The attacks were much less effective than she'd hoped, as he stopped the bullets in midair with a short flash of the Crown's eye.

"So, you are the ones who have been hindering my army," Miakido growled in a deep baritone of a voice. "Prepare for annihilation!"

The burly man pointed a broadsword in their direction. Despite how heavy it looked, he was able to swing it around with one hand as he charged them. Curly threw herself to the right while continuing to sprinkle him with bullets, but although she'd managed to avoid being harmed, she hadn't done much against her enemy. The thick chest plate Miakido wore withstood her shots like they were nothing.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Quote leap backwards to stay out of the sword's reach. He wasn't faring much better, as even at close range the Demon Crown disrupted his shotgun blasts. His teeth were tightly clenched as he narrowly avoided a slash at his neck. His nimble dodging didn't save him for long, as Miakido lunged forwards and grabbed him by the throat. Curly jumped to her feet and rushed over, fearing that if she didn't step in soon her partner would lose his head.

The General had his back to her, which she capitalized on by aiming another series of bullets directly at the Crown. It suffered no apparent physical damage, but based on the earsplitting screech it let out she'd obviously done something to the artifact. Dropping Quote to the ground, Miakido gripped his forehead with a cry of pain from the noise and/or from some mental link he had established with the Crown itself. He turned to face Curly with a snarl, and his eyes began to glow an unnatural red.

"Hate… _hate…_ "

The entire room began to rumble, knocking her off-balance just long enough for him to close the distance between them. He drove a foot into her stomach, instantly sending her to the floor with a pained cough. Miakido clearly wanted to prolong his assault, as rather than bring his sword down on her he repeatedly smashed her face into the ground with his boot. Each kick sent a fresh wave of agony through Curly, and in her daze she wondered if this was how it would end.

Suddenly, the brutal attack stopped. Quote had gotten back up and was continuing to fire at the General with his pistol. The bullets did little more than distract him, but it was enough for Curly to reach her machine gun and shoot at Miakido from below. Her shots connected with a weak point in his armor just below the ribs, and this time he certainly felt it. The man staggered backwards, clutching at his chest and groaning from each hit.

"Thanks for the save!"

Curly rolled backwards, getting to her feet a few yards away from their enemy. His grip on his sword tightened, and he held it defensively in front of his body to deflect incoming shots from her machine gun. Quote aimed an attack of his own at the Demon Crown, resulting in the same effect as before.

"I think it's working!" he called over the screeching, which appeared to be coming from the Crown itself as opposed to its wearer. "Let's keep it up!"

Miakido roared, breaking his sword in half out of frustration. He threw the pieces to the ground and glowered at the two soldiers, his eyes no longer glowing but rather heavily bloodshot. He looked deranged, like his very mind had been taken by some unknown force. The red gem on the Demon Crown flashed a fiery shade of orange, and the quaking that rocked the throne room intensified to such a degree that Curly had to fight to stay on her feet.

"I can't get a clear shot!" Quote shouted, trying to stabilize himself long enough to attack again. She wasn't doing much better, and resorted to merely spraying her machine gun's bullets in Miakido's general direction. The very air around them began to feel heavier.

 _"_ _Hate… HATE…"_

"What's he doing?!" she cried over the noise.

 ** _"_** ** _HATE!"_**

Curly's forehead suddenly felt like it was on fire, which had nothing to do with the kicks she'd suffered before. To her side, Quote seemed to be feeling the same thing and had dropped to his knees. An impossibly strong wave of energy washed over the two, wreaking havoc on their receptors. Looking up at their foe, she could see through a blurry red haze that Miakido was undergoing some kind of transformation.

"We have to end this now!" Quote groaned, shakily picking up his pistol and shotgun. Before he had a chance to do anything, however, the weapons abruptly disintegrated in his hands, leaving him staring wide-eyed in horror. Curly watched as he was thrown across the room by some unseen force from the Demon Crown and smashed headfirst into a wall. He collapsed to the ground, no longer moving.

"No…!"

The remaining soldier scrambled to reach her machine gun, laying on her stomach to give off the impression that she was staying down. Not that it seemed to matter; Miakido hadn't noticed her. Struggling to stay conscious, she took careful aim amidst all the noise and the distorted air and pulled the trigger.

Her energy bullet struck dead-on, hitting the General right between his eyes and leaving a noticeable scorch mark on his face. The Demon Crown's effects instantly stopped, and Miakido dropped to his knees with a smoking hole just above the bridge of his nose. Curly didn't let up, releasing everything her gun could manage before overheating. By the time her barrage ended, all of the skin on his face was charred black, and he fell backwards with one last groan.

"Have to… destroy… the Crown…"

She tried her hardest to stand up, but her legs refused to obey. All of the feeling in her body was gone, and her vision was growing foggy from fatigue. Curly could faintly hear someone speaking in the room, commenting on the situation before them.

"So, you managed to defeat the wielder of the Demon Crown… most impressive. Perhaps the chance I need has come."

The lizard-like voice was one she'd never heard before, and she could barely make out what he was saying at the moment. She couldn't even turn herself around to see who it was.

"Yes… I can foresee an end to this… but for now, you must recover your strength."

Was he talking to them specifically? Who was he? What did he mean? Her questions didn't have the opportunity to be answered, as everything went dark before her eyes.

Curly reawakened a decade later with no memory of her mission.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Me being me, of course I couldn't resist expanding on the backstory. There's still more to come, too! Keep an eye out, sometime soon I'm going to post a one-shot about how Quote and Curly originally met. It should come within a few days, and certainly before the next update to this story. See you then!


	42. Doctor Momorin Sakamoto

Chapter 42: Doctor Momorin Sakamoto

The three Mimiga whom Curly had rescued spent much of the walk talking quietly amongst themselves, but Quote and Malco hung onto every word of her story. Their reactions were exactly what she'd expected; the former was completely silent but would at least slightly emote when she described the carnage they'd encountered, while the latter would not only gasp in shock but also vocally comment on anything he deemed appropriate (that is, most of the story). They were exactly as she remembered.

For the most part.

When recounting her tale to them, she didn't mention Quote holding her hand, even if it was for a brief moment. There was no doubt in her mind that they were the best of friends; how could they not be after everything they'd been through together? Even so, with her memory back she could now recall once thinking of the male soldier as slightly more than that. Curly decided that keeping it to herself, at least for the time being, was for the best. Times had changed, and it wouldn't be fair to assume he felt the same way toward her when he couldn't even remember that far in the past. Besides, she was able to recall how she once felt, but that didn't mean she _still_ felt that way… that made sense, right?

 _"_ _Ugh, this is dumb. We've got bigger things to worry about than how I used to feel. That's all in the past."_

Still… the way she'd felt when he hugged her earlier…

* * *

Quote listened intently to Curly's recollection, but he also kept a watchful eye on Jack, Mahin, and Sandaime (the Mimiga Village farmer, who'd introduced himself at some point during the walk across the Plantation) as they followed Malco's lead. The three couldn't just go back to working in the fields without someone noticing them out of jail, and there were no easy ways back down to their home in sight. He couldn't even find the teleporter Kazuma and Professor Booster had used to escape. Either it had been destroyed at some point, or it was hidden so well that not even the soldier could track it down. Hopefully the Mimiga would be able to take refuge with Sue and Kazuma's mother until they had defeated the Doctor.

As serious as her story was, he couldn't help but continue to feel elated at the mere fact that Curly was with him again. He still may not have been able to remember his past for himself, but that hardly bothered him anymore. Quote somehow felt like the two other robots completed him. It amazed the soldier to realize just how much they meant to him personally.

Malco was excessively talkative at times, but he had always considered the needs of the group before his own and never demanded recognition. He had a natural eagerness to him, assisting however he could at the slightest provocation. Quote couldn't hide it; he'd grown to appreciate the excitable robot as a strategist, navigator, and friend over time.

As he'd just learned, he and Curly were built to work as a unit, the perfect team. She meant more to him than just that, however. Out of all the people he'd met, Curly was the only one he could fully trust to cover his back. They had fought through just about everything the island had thrown at them- twice, counting her story- and developed what he saw as a bond stronger than iron. Something about just being in her presence motivated him to do his best, and she definitely pulled her weight in combat as well. He couldn't have asked for a better partner.

Finally, they arrived at what Malco called "the bunker." Quote watched him pull a concealed metal panel aside, revealing a descending set of stairs.

 **"** **Here we are! There is just one problem: a password is required to get inside. I don't suppose anyone here knows it?"**

"I do," the soldier responded, walking down the steps in front of everyone else. He double-checked the paper Sue had given him with a frown.

 _"_ _It's just 'cave story' backwards. What kind of password is that?"_

Quote shook off the thought and knocked on the wooden door at the bottom. A peephole slid open, behind which a pair of stern brown eyes looked him over with the slightest flash of recognition.

"What's the password?"

"Yrots… evac…" he said, hoping he'd pronounced it right. That seemed to be the case, as a series of clicks indicated the door was being unlocked.

"If all those people out there are with you," the woman said, "tell them to hurry up and get in here before someone sees."

Nodding, Quote motioned for them to follow him as the door swung open.

* * *

Malco went down the stairs last, after Curly and the three rescued Mimiga, and pulled the metal panel back over the entrance to hide them. He walked into the hideout to find that the white-furred creatures had continued their private discussion in a corner of the cramped room, leaving him and the soldiers to speak to their host. Locking the door behind them, the middle-aged woman finally allowed the robots to get a better look at her.

The family resemblance was strong, as she had the same height, complexion, and dark green hair color as Kazuma. Her lab coat and long hair were both dirty, looking as if she'd just been working on an engine or some other device. Only her brown shirt and matching pants beneath the coat looked remotely clean, even then the fabric in both was frayed in certain spots.

"You," the woman said to Quote, "must be the hero Sue's been talking about. She didn't mention more than one robot, but any help we can get is welcome. I'm Momorin Sakamoto, her and Kazuma's mother. Nice to meet you all."

 **"** **And to you as well! My name is Malco, and my friends here are Curly Brace and Quote."**

She nodded to confirm she understood, then cast a glance at the three Mimiga in the corner.

"Who are they?"

"Oh, we just busted them out of jail," Curly replied. "They followed us here."

"I see… well, I suppose you three can lay low here until things are safer."

Malco heard them all offer their thanks before going back to their conversation. His attention was still on Doctor Sakamoto.

 **"** **Am I correct to assume you are hiding from our adversary in here?"**

"Yes. I took my chances working at the Doctor's side for a while, but once he found those Demon Flower seeds I stopped being useful to him. He tried to have me thrown off the island, but I was able to get away and set up shop down here. I think he wanted to get rid of me personally… chivalry's dead, you know that?"

Something about the acidic tone in which she spoke of the Doctor caused Malco to wonder just how long the two had been on bad terms- perhaps even before their expedition to the island. Momorin didn't dwell on it for long, which he decided was a good thing. They had to focus on planning his defeat.

"I don't know if you noticed, but if you were to look up outside you'd see a huge hole in the Plantation's ceiling. At the top of it is the island's balcony, where the Doctor has his throne room. I'm building a rocket to bring you there."

She gestured to a flat-topped, white and blue device sitting nearby. It was shaped like an octagon with four booster packs around the sides. Various panels were detached from it to reveal unfinished circuitry.

"This is gonna carry all of us?" Curly asked, staring at it with a frown. Malco was thinking the same thing, as it lacked any seats and looked quite narrow in general.

"Like I said, I wasn't counting on three robots," Momorin replied, "but it should be big enough for you to squeeze onto it together once it's finished."

 **"** **What can we do to help?"**

She looked at the unfinished rocket, then to the group again. Specifically, to their unofficial leader.

"Young man- your name is Quote, right? I see you have Professor Booster's jet pack. Could I borrow that for a while? The jets on the rocket use similar technology, so I need the template."

The soldier nodded without a word, removing its straps and giving it to her.

"This is a good start, but I also need a power supply and the remote control for it…"

 **"** **Have you lost the remote?"**

"Not exactly. It's being built by a colleague of mine named Itoh. I don't suppose any of you met him?"

 **"** **I have! I can find him for you."**

Momorin's face lit up.

"Really? Yes, that would be an enormous help. He should be done putting it together by now, wherever he is. About that power supply… the automatic sprinklers used by the Mimiga should have enough electrical power to get this running. I just need one of them."

"I'll take care of that," Curly chimed in. "I think I already know a way to get it."

To the side, Quote pointed to himself as if unsure of what he should be doing.

 **"** **You've been the most active of us all,"** Malco said. **"You should rest before our final battle."**

Curly nodded.

"Yeah, you just take it easy for a bit and we'll handle this."

He opened his mouth to protest, but the two of them were already darting out the door to complete their respective tasks.

 **"** **So, now that you can recall your past, is Quote any different than he was back then?"** Malco asked.

"Not really. He was just as single-minded during our mission as he is now, and he was even less expressive for a while. It took me a long time to get him to open up a bit."

He chuckled to himself.

 **"** **You must have a knack for that, because you've done it again. The two of you were likely built to complement one another perfectly."**

"Yeah…"

Malco wasn't looking at Curly, but based on the tone of her voice she was almost certainly smiling. She and Quote shared a connection stronger than either of them possibly knew, a fact which he had realized as far back as the Sand Zone. He understood that the two were the real heroes of their mission, and that they were more likely to be remembered for their efforts than he was. It didn't matter to him, though. He'd been programmed to help soldiers in the field, after all.

 **"** **This is where we must part ways for now. I have to return to where Itoh was, while you should be finding those four children."**

Curly looked surprised.

"How'd you know I was going to look for the Colons?"

 **"** **You volunteered to obtain a sprinkler used by the enslaved Mimiga. You have personal connections to certain workers here. Logically, you intend to enlist their aid in the completion of your assignment."**

She shook her head with a laugh.

"Right, I shouldn't have doubted you. Sometimes I think we don't appreciate your skills enough. I'm sure if you'd been with us ten years ago we would have done much better."

 **"** **I am truly humbled that you think so highly of me. In any case, we cannot delay! Go find the Colons!"**

As they separated, however, Malco allowed himself to smile at her praise. He vowed not to let either of them down, not because of his programming but because they were his friends.


	43. Final Preparations

Chapter 43: Final Preparations

As Malco had assumed, Curly was looking for her children. She could easily have picked up a sprinkler from the ground outside, but doing so would no doubt draw more attention to her than she wanted to risk. If not from the Mimiga workers (who continued to give her the cold shoulder), then from the Drolls which stood guard over them all. Quote had been knocked out by one of them, and she was in no hurry to suffer the same fate.

Tracking down the Colons in itself wasn't difficult. Something in her head could tell that they were nearby and subtly guided her toward them. It was probably another function in her receptors which Malco would be able to explain if she asked, but she decided to simply write it off as maternal instinct. That sounded better to her. The four small Mimiga were still tirelessly working in the Demon Flower planters, but they ran over to her when she beckoned for them.

"Hey guys, do you think you could help me? I need to get one of those sprinklers without anyone getting suspicious. It's important for our fight against the Doctor."

Nodding eagerly, they scurried off to do as requested.

 _"_ _That was easy enough. I wonder how the others are doing…"_

* * *

 **"** **I'm sorry, sir- come out please…"**

Malco was standing beside one of the metal crates in Itoh's hideout. The man-turned-Mimiga was just as easily frightened as he had been when they'd first met, and he had hidden himself the moment Malco opened the door.

 **"** **I'm not going to hurt you! I was here before, remember?"**

It took a bit more coaxing, but Itoh finally emerged from behind his hiding spot. Upon recognizing his visitor, he sighed loudly.

"Can't you robots come in here _without_ trying to pull the door off its hinges? I swear the whole island could have heard that!"

 **"** **Yes, yes, I'm sorry,"** Malco replied rather impatiently. He understood his fear, but time was of the essence. **"I am here on behalf of Doctor Sakamoto. She tells me you have a remote for the rocket she's building."**

Itoh's face lit up.

"So she's safe after all! What a relief… she's much stronger than I am, you know. Yes, I have it right here."

He rummaged around in one of the crates and withdrew a small rectangular device. It was rather crude in its design, being little more than a light brown box with a green display screen and a few black buttons.

"It's not much to look at, but it was the best I could do. Having paws really makes you take thumbs for granted. Give Momorin my regards, and the Doctor a hit from me!"

Malco took the controller with an eager nod.

 **"** **I will, thank you. If you wish to see her yourself, the hideout is on the eastern end of the Plantation, to the left of the reservoir's far side. The password is 'yrots evac.'"**

With that, he walked out to announce his successful mission.

* * *

Quote had been told to rest, but sleeping while his two companions were still working didn't sit right with him. He sat on a worn-out folding chair in a corner of the hideout, listening to the rescued Mimiga talk among themselves and Doctor Sakamoto working on the rocket. Eventually, she walked over to him and sat down in a second chair.

"I've done all I can for now. You can have the Booster back when you leave, but I can't do any more work until I have the sprinkler and that remote. I just hope your friends can get back here in time. Are they reliable?"

He gave her an annoyed frown. What kind of question was that? They were the most reliable people he knew on the island. He would have trusted them with his life, and already had on multiple occasions. Momorin, seeing his unamused expression, sheepishly cleared her throat.

"Sorry… again, Sue never mentioned them so I wasn't sure what they were like. She would leave notes on top of the hatch outside for me to find, this way we could talk without drawing attention. My brave little girl…"

Her faraway voice indicated that she was talking more to herself than to Quote, but he listened anyway.

"…she didn't want to hide with me. She said that if anyone noticed her missing then I might be found, and after that we'd never be able to win. I can't possibly thank you enough for saving her back in the Egg Corridor. Kazuma, too… he's always been on the timid side, but he'll come through for you in the end. They're the only family I have, and if I lost them I'd… ah, never mind."

Quote may have been fighting to save the world, but he was reminded of the personal lives he affected. Knowing that gave him yet another reason to succeed.

* * *

Curly beamed as the Colons returned to her, carrying a sprinkler as requested. It took all four of them to lift the device, but their dedication to their task never faltered. She took it from them once she was sure nobody could see their meeting.

"Thanks so much! You've been a big help," Curly praised. "Once the Doctor's been beaten, I'll come and find you right away."

"Good luck!" they called.

She wasn't far from the hideout, and made it back in less than ten minutes. Curly had run back as fast as she could, desperate not to be spotted carrying the sprinkler. Fortunately for her, no Mimiga were in her path as she returned to the metal hatch in the ground. When she knocked on the door to the bunker, a different set of eyes than Momorin's peered at her from behind the slot.

"Password?"

She giggled.

"Quote, it's me. You haven't forgotten _me_ now, have you?"

He could be heard stifling a laugh, but repeated his question anyway.

"Fine… yrots evac."

The door opened for her. She walked in and proudly displayed the sprinkler.

"Here it is, courtesy of the Colons!"

Momorin took it from her with a grateful smile, then walked back over to the rocket and kept working.

"Quote, weren't you supposed to be resting?" Curly asked, noticing he still looked tired.

He shrugged.

"I didn't want to while you were still out there."

"Well, I'm back now. Go get some sleep while we wait for Malco to get back."

"There's a bed through that door in the back," one of the three Mimiga, wearing a thick vest and glasses, commented. "If you're going to fight the Doctor you could use the rest."

Not putting up any more resistance, he finally walked through the specified door and shut it behind him. Curly walked over to Momorin and the rocket.

"Anything else I can do to help?"

"No, thank you. You've done more than enough for me already…"

She wiped her eyes.

"If it hadn't been for you three, Sue and Kazuma might not have survived. Soldier robots have mostly been forgotten back on the surface, but I promise that all the things you've done for my family will always be remembered."

Curly scratched behind her head with a bashful smile.

"Thanks, but the credit should really go to Quote and Malco. I was the last person to join our group, and I've never met your children. By the way, where is their father? Is he here too?"

Suddenly Momorin was still. Curly flinched, wondering if she'd asked the wrong thing.

"He's been gone for a long time. He was… there was an accident one day, around ten years before we came here. Sue never even knew him that well, and Kazuma just… shut down for a while. I still don't know how I got through it myself. I'm sorry, I don't want to think about him right now. Not when there's still so much at stake."

An uneasy silence fell over the room. Curly shuffled where she sat and thought of a different topic.

"So, uh… your daughter's a Mimiga now. How are you handling it?"

"To be honest," Momorin replied in a less weary voice, "we were separated before I had much of a chance to spend time with Sue in that state. I don't know what to expect, or even how to treat her in case she doesn't change back once this is all over."

"Oh, I could give you some advice on that! I was living with four little Mimiga for weeks before the Doctor took them."

Looking up from the rocket with surprise all over her face, she clung to Curly's shoulders.

"Really?! Please, that would be fantastic! Tell me everything you know!"

She laughed brightly.

"Alright, I'll give you the basics for now. If Sue's really like a normal Mimiga, then her diet will probably consist of mostly plants. I hear any meat other than fish makes them queasy. Just about any plant-based food should do the trick."

Momorin was grinning.

"She never did like vegetables… heh, now she doesn't have a choice. Okay, what about her fur?"

"It's surprisingly good at not collecting dirt! I don't know how, but the kids I lived with never got too sandy even though we were practically swimming in the stuff. It would just flake out of their fur before long, so you won't need to worry about that. Plus it smells great too!"

The conversation continued in a similar fashion for ten or so minutes before Momorin had finished installing the sprinkler's battery in the rocket. As Curly educated her on how to care for Mimiga, she in turn received lessons on parenting in general. By the end of the discussion, both of them had reached sharing amusing stories about their respective children.

"For a soldier, you sure do seem to be a good caretaker based on what you've said."

She shrugged with a small laugh.

"Guess that came with only having those kids around me. They rubbed off on me a lot."

"I see… you should get some rest too. Once your other friend gets back the rocket will almost be finished, and after that you're all set to fight the Doctor."

Curly walked through the door to the back, where Quote was fast asleep. He had arranged himself to take up as little room as possible, with his limbs all tucked in close to his body and his position being so close to the edge of the bed that it was a wonder he hadn't fallen off.

Oh, right. _The_ bed. Singular.

She'd forgotten that there was only one. As much as she didn't want to disturb the other soldier, she herself was feeling tired and sleeping on the floor didn't sound like the best idea to her. With an increasingly red face, she laid down next to Quote on the other side of the bed and tried to relax.

 _"_ _Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic, don't panic, don't panic…"_

They were up against a monster in human skin, empowered by a legendary evil artifact, and yet somehow being so close to her old partner like this was more frightening than anything the Doctor had thrown at them.

* * *

Malco had made it back to the hideout after about an hour of walking. Ideally he should have taken far less time, but the Drolls were ambling around the area and he wouldn't risk being caught. Worse still, many of the Demon Flower planters were empty all of a sudden, which could only mean that they were being harvested.

He knocked on the door a bit harder than intended, earning him a glare from Momorin when she came to the peephole and realized who it was.

"Password? Or were you just going to bust your way in?"

 **"** **Yrots evac. The flowers are ready."**

Her expression shifted into worry as she let him in.

"If that's the case, we don't have any time to lose. Have you brought back the remote?"

Nodding, Malco handed it to her and looked at the rocket. It appeared to be nearing completion. As she knelt beside an exposed panel to continue her work, she spoke again to him.

"No offense, but you aren't a soldier, are you?"

 **"** **That is correct. I arrived here for the purpose of providing tactical and analytical support, but I myself am no soldier."**

"I see," Momorin hummed. "I also see that you have a weapon of your own. Are you going to fight with your friends against the Doctor anyway?"

He beeped happily.

 **"** **Of course I am. Now that we're together I won't simply direct them from the sidelines if I can help personally."**

"That's very admirable of you. Be sure to take care of them out there, got it? You're no less of a hero in my eyes than them."

Malco laughed.

 **"** **You flatter me, Doctor Sakamoto. I promise I'll keep an eye on them. Can I help with the rocket somehow?"**

She waved a hand dismissively.

"Your blonde friend asked the same thing. Leave this to me and get some rest instead. There's a bed in the back, but since the others are already in there you three may have to take turns."

It was at that moment that his clanking footsteps suddenly became a concern for him. What if he woke the soldiers up? Their rest was more important than his, and if he disturbed them he would have possibly compromised their mission-

Once he opened the door to the bedroom, however, he realized that there wasn't a chance he would wake them. Quote and Curly had evidently decided to share the bed, sleeping rather close to one another. He could see traces of a blush on the latter's face, but neither of them seemed uncomfortable otherwise.

The robot cracked a smile, walking over to a corner to deactivate. He folded his limbs in toward himself until he was effectively cube-shaped and shut down on the floor. Not being able to sleep in the bed was fine with him; he couldn't fit and would have been uncomfortable anyway.

Besides, his friends appeared to be enjoying themselves.


	44. Liftoff

Chapter 44: Liftoff

Sand shifted underfoot as Cthulhu strolled across the subterranean desert. He never enjoyed going there, where the stuffy heat got on his nerves easily, but the reptilian wasn't one to complain about his own discomfort. After all, his problems were nearly over if all went according to plan.

His long cloak left a trail in the sand behind him as he approached a rusted-out hut. Several barks came from inside once he was within smelling range of their sources, and sure enough a quintet of white-furred dogs greeted him at the door. He paid them no mind, brushing past and walking inside with his head bowed respectfully.

"Greetings. I come bearing news of the soldiers."

The only other occupant of the small room was, of course, the elderly witch Jenka. Her reaction to seeing him was the same as every occasion they met: a pitying stare, and a regretful sigh. Cthulhu, in the interest of time, got down to business right away.

"They are currently in the Plantation, and are no doubt reunited by now. Curly Brace washed up there as predicted, and I kept her under my custody until her companions arrived. I am confident that together they will defeat the wearer of the Demon Crown and destroy the Core at last."

Jenka rubbed her forehead.

"Preventing a repeat of the war from ten years ago is crucial for the sake of the world, but I beg of you to reconsider your attitude towards the Core. You _must_ know what will happen if it is destroyed!"

"I do," he hissed, smirking. "The island may fall, and the inhabitants may be endangered, but that is an unfortunate necessity. Once this place strikes the earth, the source of our troubles will be eradicated after all these years. Is this not the best solution?"

To his frustration, she still wouldn't see his logic.

"Believe me, Cthulhu, I know exactly why you want the island to fall. But I can't in good conscience agree with your reasoning for the lives that would be put at risk. You're already taking enough chances with these robots. They will no doubt have to face my daughter before making it to her new master, and even if they succeed they still have him to contend with."

His scaly fingers curled up into a fist, which he slammed against a wall. The entire room shook with the impact, and Jenka's dogs growled at him.

"'Risk,' you say? _You_ wish to lecture _me_ about the conservation of life? It was YOUR inability to end a single life that allowed the Demon Crown to flourish like it has! You are equally to blame for this! You know nothing!"

Jenka sighed.

"It would appear that you've lost your heart as well as your skin. Those scales suit someone like you. Go on, then. Lead your soldiers to victory if you're so confident in them. I hope the innocent lives that will be lost are worth it to you."

Cthulhu snarled and stormed out, preparing to return to the Plantation. She didn't understand. She couldn't possibly understand.

* * *

Quote wasn't aware of the exact moment that he'd woken up, but he did know that he was feeling fantastic even after such a short rest. His fatigue from the last few hours had completely vanished, leaving him focused and calm. Nothing could surprise him now… except, perhaps, for the knowledge that he wasn't alone in the small bedroom.

It took him a moment to realize that the compressed gray cube in the corner was Malco. With his limbs withdrawn, the robot was about a third of his normal height. His eye lenses were the same dull red as they had been after their fight in the Egg Corridor, and he stared straight ahead without making a sound.

More noteworthy was Curly, who he couldn't see anywhere at first. The thought that she could be with Momorin outside hardly lasted ten seconds, as it soon became clear where she really was: in the bed next to him. She was facing the other way and seemed to have intentionally positioned herself as far from him as she could. Quote looked at her with a light smile, both embarrassed that they'd shared the bed and strangely comforted by the same knowledge. He couldn't explain it, but something inside him wanted to stay there with her for a while longer.

Shaking off those confusing thoughts, he walked out the door to the bedroom to find the hideout less populated than usual. Jack, Mahin, and Sandaime were still huddled together, but Momorin and the rocket were missing. The main entrance was slightly ajar, indicating that she'd gone outside. He exited in pursuit, climbing the stairs out of the bunker and back into the Plantation.

Sure enough, Momorin was nearby with her creation and a small white shape that he soon recognized as Itoh. The former human had worked up the courage to leave his hiding place after all. Both of them were positioning the rocket beneath the enormous hole in the ceiling, no doubt in preparation to send Quote and his companions to the Doctor's base. As he approached, however, he noticed just how quiet the cave was. The Plantation was _empty_. No Mimiga, Drolls, or even red flowers could be seen. It was as if they'd simply vanished into thin air while he was asleep, and the thought gave him a knot in his stomach. Was he too late?

"I was wondering when you'd get up!" Momorin called, waving him down. "The rocket is all but finished, and not a moment too soon. It seems the Doctor has harvested his flowers and is preparing to make the army of Mimiga. If Itoh hadn't come here himself, this would have taken much longer to complete."

"Well, I knew you could use the help!" her assistant said proudly. "Besides, I'm not a world-class engineer for nothing. I'm just putting the finishing touches on the ignition, and we should be ready to launch."

The sound of footsteps approached from behind, and Quote turned around to see Curly, Malco, Jack, Mahin, and Sandaime all coming toward them.

"I'm feeling great!" the other soldier cheered with a grin. "Well, except for being woken up by an _alarm_ for some reason. Was that necessary, Malco?"

 **"** **You stayed asleep no matter how hard I shook you! I didn't have a choice. Why Quote didn't wake you up himself is beyond me; he was right next to you."**

Curly's face reddened, and she looked at the ground. Quote fought the urge to laugh out of fear that she'd take offense to it.

"There! It's finished," Itoh announced. "There's just barely enough space for the three of you, so you'll have to stay close together. We don't have any time to waste, get on!"

Quote climbed onto the rocket platform's edge and stood with his back to the center of it. Curly joined him to his left, and Malco to his right. He wrapped the tow rope around all three of them, tightly binding them together. Momorin approached and handed him the Booster as promised, which he held close to his chest.

"You're our last hopes to stop the Doctor, but I have faith you can do it. Now then, the rocket is designed to carry you up without putting too much pressure on your body, so just sit tight until you reach the top. That hole leads straight to the outside of the island, with nothing in your way. Just be sure to jump off once you get there; it'll take a while for the rocket to recharge for Itoh and me to use."

 **"** **You are coming as well?"** Malco asked.

Momorin nodded.

"The helicopter we arrived here in is up there. We're going to get it running to leave this island after you beat the Doctor. Any questions?"

Neither Quote nor his companions said another word, so she held up the remote and placed her finger over a switch.

"Alright. Good luck up there. If anyone can do this, it's you three."

"Go get him!" Itoh added.

The three Mimiga from the village all clapped and shouted their own encouragements. Seeing them made Quote wonder what they were going to do about the Core. If any mutants had already been made, then according to Kazuma and Professor Booster the only way to save them was by destroying it, but doing so would cause the island to fall anyway…

"Ready?" Momorin called. "Three… two… one… launch!"

She flipped the switch, and the rocket flared to life beneath their feet. Despite what she'd said, he could feel a rather strong force pushing down on him as they rose into the air. It wasn't exactly painful, but Quote felt his legs begin to shake from the effort it took to remain standing. The jets roared, and their ascent sped up even more.

"Y-y-you doing alright?!" Curly shouted over the deafening noise.

 **"** **My body feels like it's shaking apart!"** Malco cried.

"J-just hold on," he said with his teeth clenched. "I think we're almost there!"

They passed through the darkness of the ceiling within seconds, and almost immediately afterward they were surrounded by a blinding light. The rocket cut out at the apex of its launch, and began to fall back down into the Plantation. Quote's eyes were struggling to adapt to how bright the environment was, but he could see solid ground right in front of them. Just before the rocket could descend too far, he flung himself as hard as he could off the side, dragging Curly and Malco with him by the rope around their waists.

They landed in a pile together in the dirt, with Quote at the bottom due to how he'd jumped first. Somehow, he'd turned around in the scuffle and was laying painfully on his back. Not helping was Curly, who had landed on top of him so their foreheads clashed against one another and caused the two to simultaneously cry out. He supposed it could have been worse; Malco's bulkier frame and sharp edges made breaking his fall much less desirable. As it was, he'd landed to Quote's left with a metallic warble.

"Ugh… everyone okay?" Curly asked, rubbing her head.

 **"** **The landing could have been easier, but I've suffered no major damage. Quote?"**

He groaned, feeling like his body had been crushed from the impact. The soldier unhooked the tow rope and allowed his friends to separate at last, and the three laid there to reorient themselves for just a moment. They were all on their backs, nursing various injuries and trying to get the feeling back in their legs from the ascent.

"Hey," Quote said aloud after a moment, "look above us."

After their entire underground adventure, which had taken them across seemingly endless caves and tunnels, they were outside. The open sky loomed all around them, just beginning to tint a pale orange as the sunrise emerged from below the island. Entranced by the sight, the three robots sat up and stared at it together like they had vowed to back in the Labyrinth.

"Wow, it's beautiful!" Curly gasped.

 **"** **So this is the sun… if the situation were not so dire I could stay here and watch it for hours."**

Quote got to his feet and checked to make sure they all had their weapons. Spur, Bubbline, and King's sword were still in his possession, while Curly had her machine gun- its new blue color catching him off guard for a moment- and Malco had Napalm. Shaking off the pain from their landing, he laid his eyes on their final destination off in the distance: an ancient-looking white marble temple, towering several stories above the robots with pillars and stone statues in various states of ruin lining the path toward it. Quote clenched his fists as he stared up at the building, knowing that their final battle was at hand.

It was time to confront the Doctor.


	45. House Call

Chapter 45: House Call

Just has Momorin had said, a helicopter painted black and gray sat alone a short distance from where they'd reached the surface of the island. Based on its elongated body, it was clearly used to carry a sizable group there, about ten to fifteen people by Quote's estimate. He mentally counted them off: Sue, Kazuma, their mother, Itoh, Professor Booster, and the Doctor… he could only imagine what had happened to the rest of the research party.

Also nearby was a makeshift house of sorts, made of crude stone blocks with an empty hole for a window and a plain wooden door. The ceiling had collapsed, leaving the building as little more than a pile of rubble. Quote realized that this must have been the base camp of Momorin and her team before things took a turn for the worse. He considered going to investigate it further, but with the Doctor so close at hand he decided otherwise. To his right, Curly let out a horrified gasp and stopped short. It took him no time at all to see why.

Two flower-mutated Mimiga, or Ravil as they were apparently known, idled in the distance, stomping noisily on their gigantic feet. Their eyes, the color of blood, were wide in frenzy as they growled at one another. Fortunately for the robots, neither of them bothered turning in their direction, so they were able to quietly sneak past by walking in a wide arc around the pair.

"Curly?" Quote asked. "Are you okay?"

Her face somehow appeared paler than usual, and her fists were clenched so tightly that the wiring under her fake skin was visibly pushing against it. She didn't say anything, but he could see exactly how she felt in her eyes. Had he been in her position, Quote would have felt the same; for all they knew, the next mutants they found could have been the Colons. Something told him that she was thinking the same thing.

"We're going to destroy the Core," she said all of a sudden. "If it'll save them, then we don't have any other choice."

 **"** **How do you know about that?"** Malco asked. Quote had filled _him_ in on what Kazuma and Professor Booster said, but he'd forgotten to tell Curly about it. Of course, that didn't seem to be an issue any more.

"When Cthulhu saved me from drowning, he would whisper things to me… something about how getting rid of the Core would cause the island to fall, but also turn the Mimiga back to normal. There was some other reason for him to want that to happen, but I was only half-listening."

Quote frowned, recalling Sue's letter mentioning Cthulhu. What was his part in all this?

 **"** **Even if that's true, what will happen once the island falls? Will the Mimiga and Gaudi, and everyone else, be safe? The impact could cause all of the caves to collapse on themselves!"**

"I KNOW!" Curly shouted, somehow not alerting the two Ravil with how loud she was. "I know what destroying the Core means… I know everyone might die… but if that's what it takes to stop this disaster from happening again, then I don't know what else to do…"

She looked at the ground as they continued to walk, not saying another word. Once they reached the ancient temple's main entrance, the three stopped and prepared themselves for what was to come. Acting on impulse, Quote took Curly's hand and lightly squeezed it in his own. He wasn't sure what that would accomplish, but if it comforted her than he was willing to try anything.

His gesture didn't exactly work as he'd hoped, although it at least distracted Curly for a moment. She gaped at him for a moment, her face turning much redder than he thought it would for some reason.

"Do… do you remember back then…?" she asked quietly, giving him a funny look. He didn't know what she was talking about, but there was an odd familiarity in her eyes.

"No. I just thought this would help you calm down. Once we go in there, we have no idea what we'll be facing. So, before that, I wanted to let you know that I've enjoyed fighting with you and Malco. I don't think I'd have made it this far without your help."

Curly's alarmed expression only intensified, to his confusion.

"Quote… you said something just like that the first time we were here. You were, uh, holding my hand then too."

"Really? I still don't remember anything from back then, but I hope it helped."

 **"** **What a strange coincidence,"** their third companion chimed in. **"Regardless, I'll continue to support you until the end!"**

He nodded gratefully at the robot, only to stumble as Curly attacked both of them with a hug. Quote managed not to fall and returned the embrace to his friends. Malco, after a few seconds of hesitation, joined in and put his arms around them as well.

"Okay boys, are you ready?" Curly said with a newfound confidence in her voice. "Quote and I couldn't destroy the Demon Crown when we came here ten years ago, but this time we're going to win."

 **"** **Affirmative! Let's finish this!"**

"I'm with you all the way," he added. As their group hug finally came apart, he was caught completely off guard by one more gesture from Curly: she leaned forward and gently pressed her mouth to his cheek. Quote didn't fully understand what it meant, but he could feel himself heating up nonetheless. Whatever she'd just done, it had a potent effect.

He snapped out of his trance after what felt like an eternity and faced the door.

"Well, here we go. I'll take the lead, stay close to me!"

* * *

As delighted as Curly was to see Quote blush at last- he'd never shown visible embarrassment from what she could remember- she couldn't appreciate the moment for long. He had already flung open the door to the throne room and marched in with a determined stride. Gripping her Nemesis rifle with both hands, she followed close behind him with Malco at the back of the group. The trio fanned out into the room, walking across a floor of chipped and cracked gray stone tiles. Curly took in many of the details she'd missed the first time she was there so long ago: the elegantly-carved pillars, the empty windows through which light from the rising sun flooded, and a spiral staircase on the opposite end leading further into the temple. Directly in the center of the room was the throne itself, a pale gray and very angular object that looked uncomfortable in every sense of the word.

Her eyes narrowed upon seeing that the Doctor wasn't in the room with them, but rather Misery and Balrog. The two were standing on either side of the throne, looking at their unwelcome guests with blank expressions. It had been a while since any of them had met one another, resulting in a few moments of tense silence. Curly was holding her gun down by her waist with her finger on the trigger in case she needed to spring into action. She could see Malco and Quote doing the same with their weapons, but oddly enough the Doctor's lackeys weren't making hostile gestures yet.

"So, you made it here after all," Misery commented, breaking the silence. "I have to admit, you're tenacious for robots. When I met you back in the Labyrinth I assumed you were just kill-happy machines of war, but it appears there's more to you than that. Emotions beyond what can be programmed, enhanced logic... you're not like the robots from ten years ago."

The blue-haired witch turned her attention to Malco, giving him a puzzled frown.

"Hm? You're different than them… Balrog, do you know him?"

"Yeah, I do. He was with soldier boy in the Bushlands, and all three of them were together in the Labyrinth. I thought you dropped him down there too after you sent me and those two."

Misery's perplexed expression intensified. "I've never met him before. Where did you come from?"

 **"** **The war, just like my friends here,"** Malco shot back. **"I'm no soldier, and I may not be as powerful as them, but it would nonetheless be wise of you not to upset me."**

Curly would have complimented his bravery, had her attention not been focused on their two adversaries. The witch smirked at him and took a step forward. Immediately, all three robots had their weapons aimed at her, while Balrog looked on with his usual unreadable expression.

"That's a bold claim. I assume you three are here to destroy the Core? You haven't forgotten what will happen afterwards, have you?"

"If that's what it takes to stop the Doctor from starting another war," Curly said, "then so be it. Those flowers can't be allowed to survive."

Misery's mildly smug expression faded to one between resentment and apathy. Balrog shuffled his way to her side, keeping his eyes on the guns pointed at them both.

"Shame we're enemies, because I'm inclined to agree," he replied. "Misery and I don't like the Doc any more than you guys do, but it's our fate to support whoever has the Demon Crown. We physically can't disobey him no matter how much we want to. If he wants us to protect the Core from you, then that's just how it is."

As they spoke, Curly was planning out a strategy for the inevitable fight. They needed to get to that staircase if they wanted to reach the Doctor, but his two minions would no doubt be a formidable challenge together. Getting around them was seemingly impossible between Misery's magic and Balrog's raw strength. Speaking of the former… the witch was pointing her staff at them. Its balled end emitted a pale blue glow.

"I'm afraid this is the end of the line. Prepare yourselves!"

* * *

Quote was the fastest to react, releasing Spur's fully-charged laser. It was the first time he could appreciate its power, and appreciate it he did. The thick white beam scorched through the air toward Misery, forcing her to abort whatever spell she'd been planning so she could teleport out of the way. Balrog leaped forward in an attempt to crush him, but he was knocked back by the combined gunfire of Curly and Malco.

 **"** **Get out of our way!"** the latter shouted, unloading Napalm's missiles at a rapid pace. He seemed able to predict where Misery would reappear, and nearly struck her dead-on with an explosion. However, the witch had nullified most of his projectiles with a barrier of spinning black spheres and was therefore no worse for wear.

That is, until Curly fired on her from the far left side of the room, forcing her to vanish yet again. Malco, who had turned his attention to Balrog, was also keeping him to the side. A wide gap between them had opened.

 **"** **Go on, Quote! We will hold them off here!"**

He didn't want to leave them behind. He couldn't bear the thought of possibly losing them without being there to help.

"I…"

"GO!" Curly shouted, still keeping Misery on the defensive. "There's no time to waste; get going and stop the Doctor!"

With one last look at them, he dashed as fast as he could toward the staircase at the back. Balrog lunged to stop him, but another fiery blast from Malco kept him at bay. Quote jumped up the stairs three at a time, trying his hardest not to focus on the sounds of gunfire following him. Even once he had made it to the second floor, the noise was still audible.

 _"_ _Be careful, you two…"_

As he made it into the upper room, he was assaulted with a sweet, flowery smell: Mimiga fur. The small creatures were stuffed three or four at a time into a seemingly endless row of cages lining the walls. Upon noticing Quote, the occupants all began whispering to one another and pointing him out to their cellmates. He spotted several familiar faces amidst the crowd. The fisherman from Mimiga Village, Santa and Chako from the Bushlands, assorted workers from the Plantation, and even Curly's four children were staring at him as he walked past. Their eyes shone with hope, even though most of them were unfamiliar to him. At least two cages were empty, and he had a strong feeling that its occupants had already been subjected to mutation by the Doctor.

Speaking of whom, he was standing in the center of the room beside a white stone table with countless unrecognizable patterns carved into its base. Vines of red flowers were strewn across it, along with something that glowed a dull red. Quote approached with Spur in one hand and Bubbline in the other, ready to end his mission at last.

"HA HA HA!" the Doctor burst out, turning to face him with that unsettling grin he seemed so fond of. "Welcome, my robotic friend! I assumed you had died back in the Labyrinth, but there was always a part of me that wondered if you somehow pulled off a miraculous escape. Seems I have my answer now."

He listened closely to the sounds of fighting below them and chuckled darkly.

"You have allies here as well? Once I'm done with you I'll personally take care of them… would you like to see what I've been working on?"

No, he wouldn't. Quote opened fire with a charged Spur laser, only for it to spiral away from the Doctor with a flash of the Demon Crown's eye-shaped gem. It was a different color than he remembered, now glowing a violent shade of orange.

"As you know," the man continued nonchalantly, "Mimiga become frenzied when these Demon Flowers are administered. Their strength increases tenfold, and their mental reasoning is destroyed. The explanation for this is quite simple: the flowers contain a particular compound which brings out latent abilities in their consumers. Fascinating, no?"

Quote tried again, holding the trigger on Bubbline until a large cluster of its projectiles sped toward his opponent. Once again, the Demon Crown nullified them before they even had a chance to reach him.

"I understand," he said with a patronizing, almost crooning tone. "Not everyone appreciates the wonders of science to the same degree as I. To that end, behold! The compound of the flowers, extracted and condensed into a source of unlimited potential!"

The Doctor reached onto the table behind him and picked up the glowing red object. On closer inspection, it was revealed to be a prism-shaped gemstone about the size of his head.

"This is the Red Crystal. It can affect not only Mimiga, but also humans such as myself. Perhaps even robots… shall we find out together?"

The large gem began to levitate on its own accord, bathing the Doctor with an eerie crimson light.

"Oh, it feels wonderful…" he said with a shudder. "Come, soldier, you're in for a _special_ demonstration!"

Quote's eyes narrowed into a glare, and he pointed both of his guns straight at him.

"This is where it ends, Doctor," he said defiantly. "For everyone you've hurt… you're going DOWN!"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Next time, the showdown begins with Curly and Malco versus Misery and Balrog!


	46. Misery

Chapter 46: Misery

Malco continued to pummel Balrog with flame blasts, keeping himself between the rectangular being and the stairs. He regretted having to attack an enemy who so clearly disliked his position, but at that moment the most important thing was making sure Quote wasn't interrupted.

 **"** **Just give up! You are outmatched!"**

"Not yet, rusty!" Balrog shouted back in a lull between Napalm's shots. "Let's see what you think of THIS!"

A previously unseen panel in his metallic hide slid open, and the rounded tip of a missile gleamed in the pale light of the room. Malco dove to the floor, just barely managing to avoid the projectile streaking toward him. It exploded somewhere overhead, showering his body with sparks and cinders.

He scrambled back to his feet, only to be greeted by the sight of a second missile detonating right in front of him. The robot was thrown backwards, landing hard against the stairs with Napalm no longer in his hands. Groaning, he struggled to stand again as Balrog prepared a third attack.

"Malco!"

The distinct sound of high-pitched machine gun fire rang through the air. Curly, having taken her attention off Misery, was shooting at his opponent instead. He used the time she'd bought him and retrieved his weapon, then moved to stand by her side. Their combined attacks slammed into Balrog with a deafening explosion, leaving him dazed on his back.

"Tch. Looks like I have to do this myself," Misery remarked. "Get out of here and let me handle them."

Their defeated enemy scampered out of the temple, leaving the witch behind with her staff held tight. Malco wasn't intimidated, raising Napalm to aim it at her. After everything he'd heard from his friends, he was almost looking forward to a chance to strike back at Misery. She may have been just as much of a slave as Balrog, but for all the trouble she'd given them he didn't feel as bad about fighting her.

Even with a two-on-one advantage, however, Malco could still detect an enormous amount of energy within their opponent. Their fight was only going to get harder.

* * *

Curly sprayed a volley of shots from Nemesis, not letting up even as Misery generated her barrier of black translucent spheres to stop the attack in midair. The witch responded with her own assault, casting a bolt of lightning from her staff. It shot through the air and impacted both robots, crackling through their inner circuitry and metal parts. Malco emitted a pained warble at Curly's side, and his body began to quiver and spark uncontrollably.

 _"_ _Oh no! Is he shorting out?!"_

She didn't have much time to think about that, since Misery was on the offensive again. Her staff glowed brighter and brighter blue as she unleashed more lightning bolts and even a series of projectiles shaped like pale orange bats, wings and all. They were clearly not organic creatures, seeing as their bodies appeared to be made of condensed heat energy. Curly shot through most of them easily, but the ones she missed struck her torso and disappeared, leaving scorching burns in their wake. She stumbled from the impact, almost falling off balance.

After being forced to constantly teleport at the beginning of the fight, Misery was striking back with gusto. Her spells grew more ferocious by the second, driving Curly into a corner and pummeling her with blinding bolts of electricity. The soldier screamed as a final spark tore through her body, and her limbs gave out, dropping her onto her knees. Her fingers were malfunctioning from the power surge, and she couldn't find the strength to grip her gun at the moment. Misery closed in, using her staff to psychically tear a large chunk of marble out of the wall. Not wasting time with words, she raised it above Curly's head and prepared to smash it down on her.

The stone exploded in a burst of flames before the witch had a chance to strike, sending shrapnel in all directions.

 **"** **L-leave Curly alone! Face m-me, if you have the courage!"**

Her body wasn't properly responding to her demands, but she was able to look up just enough to see Malco on his feet again, staring down their enemy. She felt her heart sink; energy from the hit he'd last taken was still visibly coursing through him, and based on his slightly hunched posture it appeared that one of his legs was faulty. Even then, he kept Napalm gripped in his claw-like hands. Misery, smirking, pointed her staff at him again.

"If you insist."

Curly could see Nemesis sitting on the floor just a few yards away. Her legs _still_ refused to cooperate, forcing the soldier to drag herself along the ground as Malco tagged in for her. She watched him desperately try to fend off Misery with more explosive blasts, but the witch called upon her barrier again as she levitated toward him. Very much aware of the danger her friend was in, she pulled herself closer to Nemesis, stretching out an arm as far as she could to reach it.

Malco's left leg wasn't moving with the rest of him, instead remaining in a half-bent position and forcing him to hobble backwards. Before long, he had tripped on it, landing with a loud clang against the floor. Curly watched in horror as Misery began chanting another spell. Her gun was still several feet away, and even as she dragged herself toward it she knew that she wouldn't be able to reach it in time.

That is, until it was suddenly kicked her way by a newcomer to the room. Curly's eyes shifted upwards to see one of the last people she'd expected to come to her aid: Cthulhu. He had arrived seemingly from thin air, sliding Nemesis across the floor and holding a single scaly finger over his mouth. The hooded creature cast a sideways glance at Misery, still advancing on Malco without noticing their unexpected guest, and smirked before disappearing just as abruptly as he'd arrived.

She didn't concern herself with questions about Cthulhu at the moment and pointed her rifle up at Misery. As the witch completed her incantation, preparing to finish off the other robot, Curly squeezed the trigger and fired multiple shots at her back. They all struck their target directly, causing her to abort her spell with a pained cry. Misery's robes were torn from the attack, exposing her now slightly-charred skin underneath. She whirled around with a snarl, only for _another_ hit from behind as Malco launched a series of fireballs at her. The witch dropped to the ground, groaning. Blood dripped from somewhere beneath her tattered clothing, but she didn't seem fatally wounded. Even so, she gave the pair of robots one last glare before teleporting herself away.

 **"** **We… we did it!"**

Curly struggled to get up as feeling began to return to her legs at last. She walked over to where Malco sat, occasionally stumbling from fatigue and her wounds. His condition, however, was much more concerning. He sported numerous scratches and burn marks on his metal exterior. One of his eye lenses had a large crack in it, most likely from Balrog's missile attack, and the upper-left side of his head had been significantly dented in. His leg was finally moving again, but no other part of him appeared to be in good shape.

 **"** **W-w-w-well done, Curly… that was a-an impressive shot."**

She couldn't believe how feeble his voice sounded. Malco's speech crackled and even cut out at random, with an unnatural rasp to its tone.

"Are… are you okay?"

 **"** **A-absolutely! I may not look to b-be in good condition, but I-I-I-I assure you I'll be fine."**

Curly didn't entirely believe him, and she wasn't sure if he had a self-repair function like she did. Malco got to his feet and grabbed Napalm, whereupon she could see that one of his fingers had snapped off altogether. He stared at her frightened expression and tried to reassure her again.

 **"** **R-really! I'm st-still running at acceptable performance levels. I'm in n-no mortal danger…"**

Their attention was drawn to the sounds of a fight coming from the floor above them. The entire temple began to shake in a way that she found disturbingly familiar. With their battle out of the way, Curly dashed toward the staircase as fast as her tired legs could carry her. She wasn't exactly in prime condition, but she wasn't about to let her friend fight alone.


	47. The Tyrant

Chapter 47: The Tyrant

As Curly and Malco engaged Misery, Quote was beginning his own battle. He let loose with a storm of projectiles from Bubbline, attempting to overwhelm his opponent. None of them came remotely close, as the Doctor vanished from where he'd just been, leaving the Red Crystal in his wake. It was struck by several of his shots, but suffered no visible damage of any kind. The gemstone moved through the air toward the back of the room, pulled by some unseen force to where its master had reappeared. He was hovering a yard or so off the ground, tauntingly waving a finger.

Quote tried again, this time using Spur's half-charged laser. It wasn't any more effective, as the Demon Crown caused his shot to veer off course in midair and slam into the top of a Mimiga cage. Its inhabitants squealed in terror and recoiled toward a corner, but thankfully weren't harmed. The soldier clenched his teeth; this was going to be even harder than he'd anticipated.

His brief moment of distraction was taken advantage of, as the Doctor extended a hand with the Red Crystal rapidly orbiting around it. Sneering, he released a wave of crimson energy from his outstretched fingers. The inexplicable attack spiraled toward Quote in a wide, undulating arc and struck him in the chest. He was thrown backwards by the impact but managed to stay on his feet, returning fire with Bubbline again.

Just like before, his enemy had teleported away and left the Red Crystal behind. It floated across the room once more, giving Quote an idea. He followed its path until it stopped moving, at which point he fired Spur at the empty space it was staying near. Sure enough, the Doctor reappeared directly in its path and couldn't react in time to stop the thin laser from hitting him in the stomach. For the first time, his smile faded slightly, and he grabbed at the area he'd been shot in with one hand. The soldier could see between his fingers that his lab coat was burned, but while the man had definitely felt it he wasn't significantly wounded. He stretched out his other hand, releasing a second spiral of red energy. This time, the Doctor didn't teleport again but rather stepped backwards in anticipation of a counterattack.

Quote activated the Booster strapped to his back and launched himself over the spinning energy. His ascent carried him a bit further than intended, almost scraping him against the ceiling, but he shifted his weight forward just in time to arc over the Doctor's attack and land safely on his feet. Without missing a beat, he fired on his surprised enemy with both the Spur and Bubbline and scoring several more hits on him. Before long, however, his shots were being disrupted by the Demon Crown once again.

The Red Crystal pulsed with a sinister glow, and the Doctor crossed his arms in front of himself before thrusting both of them outwards. An even larger wave of energy burst from his hands, spreading in every direction in the form of red spheres. They rebounded off the walls and cages, flying all over the room. Fortunately, none of them slipped between the bars to harm any Mimiga. _Un_ fortunately, Quote found himself barely managing to avoid the projectiles as they streaked past him. One even knocked his hat off his head, and he felt a scorching heat brush past his face.

By the time the energy wave faded, his opponent had teleported again and was out of sight. As usual, the Red Crystal soared after him and rejoined the Doctor when he appeared a short distance to the left. Quote was ready this time, and fired off a fully-charged Spur blast as he became visible. Rather than strike the man himself, however, it instead hit the Demon Crown directly in its gemstone eye.

The Doctor let out an agonized shriek and grabbed at his head, desperately trying to wrench the unsightly blue helmet off. Its eye was pulsing with a deep orange glow, and the more he struggled the harder it seemed to grip to him. Quote didn't attack again, watching as he stumbled and fell to one knee, quivering hard.

"Aaargh… t-the power… I can't control it! Stop! STOP!"

As the man continued to writhe, the very air in the room became heavier. The Demon Crown was emitting an unimaginably powerful wave of power that caused Quote to clutch his receptors. They were screeching white noise into his head at a deafening volume, and he found it impossible to focus on anything. The soldier's head was burning with a greater pain than he'd ever felt… was this the same thing that had happened to him ten years ago, when he and Curly were facing General Miakido? He could vaguely hear the Mimiga all around them whimpering in fright, and remembered what he needed to do. Quote raised Bubbline and sprayed a cluster of shots at the Doctor. Nothing was clearly visible in that state of distortion, but he at least hoped that he could disrupt the Demon Crown if he covered a wide enough area with his attack.

It seemed to have worked, as the haze clouding his vision abruptly vanished and his receptors settled down. All was silent in the room save for hushed whispers from the Mimiga and the faint sounds of gunfire from the floor below. Quote wondered if his friends were doing okay, but didn't have much time to think about it before something smashed into the back of his head and sent him crumpling to the floor. With a splitting headache and blurred vision, he rolled over to see what had just struck him. To his horror, it was none other than the Doctor, still alive and in good condition to fight.

At least, he _thought_ it was, but even he wasn't quite sure. The monster lumbering toward him was roughly eleven feet tall with arms as thick as Quote's torso and a pair of disproportionately thin legs supporting his upper body. His clothing was either torn outright or stretched as far as it possibly could be, barely concealing his muscle mass underneath and looking as if the slightest flex would be too much to handle. The Doctor- or whatever beast he'd become- glowered at Quote with thin slits for eyes that shone vibrant red. No trace of his humanity remained; his face was barely recognizable without his glasses, and his mouth was stretched into a gaping maw of razor-sharp fangs.

Most notable about his new appearance was the Demon Crown. Its single jeweled eye shone a fiery orange and was actively swiveling around where it sat to observe the room. Four pointed "teeth" protruded from its corners and dug into the head of its wearer, not that it seemed to cause him any pain. The Doctor clenched his enormous fists and charged, taking thundering footsteps as he ran toward Quote.

He kicked his legs back over his head, rolling to a standing position just in time for a fist to come crashing down where he'd been seconds beforehand. The soldier fired several more Spur shots into the face of his monstrous enemy, none of which appeared to remotely injure him. Shaking off the thin bursts of light, the Doctor brought up one of his arms to grab Quote by the waist. He chuckled darkly and slammed him onto the floor again, sending a fresh wave of agony through his back.

A crunching sound came from somewhere beside him, and he turned his head to see an enormous boot stamping down on Bubbline. The gun was reduced to little more than a crushed pile of lime-green scrap, completely beyond further use. Watching it be destroyed caused Quote's heart to sink; it had been such a reliable weapon throughout his journey. He couldn't mourn its loss for long, however, as the Doctor was raising his foot again, this time to crush _him_. He activated the Booster, which sent him skidding along the floor and out of his enemy's reach. In his rush to escape being stomped, he wound up colliding with something that made a reverberating clang behind him.

"Mister Quote! Get up, you can do it!"

To his surprise, he'd crashed into the cage housing Curly's children. They were gathered near the bars and shouting various words of encouragement. Other Mimiga around them slowly began to join in, cheering him on from their own cells and cursing the monster that had tormented and killed so many of them. Quote got back to his feet in time to see yet another ray of hope arrive: Curly was at the top of the staircase from the floor below, sporting several injuries but otherwise in good condition. She let out a gasp upon seeing the caged Mimiga and the mutant Doctor, who was snarling ferociously in response to the hateful shouts and jeers all around him.

"Quote! Are you okay?"

He wasn't, really, but he didn't want to worry her. Giving his partner a nod, he began to charge Spur again.

"Where's Malco?"

Curly pointed back down the stairs.

"I think he's on his way… he's pretty busted up from the fight, though."

 **"** **I-I-I'll be there shortly!"** the robot's feeble voice rang in their receptors. **"Keep f-fighting, we can't stop now!"**

Quote felt a knot of concern in his stomach; Malco sounded _terrible_.

"Look out!"

The cry had come from one of the Mimiga nearby, and he realized the Doctor was barreling toward him with a newfound fury. He didn't react fast enough to counterattack, and Spur was knocked out of his hands, skidding across the floor. Quote, unarmed at the moment, tried to fly out of harm's way with the Booster, but his leg was grabbed at the last second and he was swung onto the ground yet again. He landed on his face this time, and the world around him became a dark haze.

"You monster!" Curly shrieked, opening fire from across the room. "Get away from him!"

The Doctor turned to face her, not fazed in the slightest by her shots, and the gemstone eye on the Demon Crown flared with a blinding light. She was thrown upwards as if pulled by strings, slamming headfirst into the ceiling before plummeting back to the floor. Landing in a heap, she moaned softly and struggled to stand again.

Malco arrived as well, with Quote just being able to see him limp up the stairs. His damage was sickening to behold, but he stood defensively in front of the downed Curly anyway. The robot raised Napalm with trembling arms and unloaded every missile left in it, then switched to fireballs once they had been depleted. Even then the Doctor forged on as if simply ignoring his innumerable burn wounds and areas where his skin appeared to have melted altogether.

Quote realized that, despite the loss of Bubbline and Spur being across the room, he wasn't entirely unarmed. King's sword was still in its sheath around his waist, having not been used for some time. He drew it as quickly as possible and propelled himself from where he lay with the Booster, rocketing toward their enemy. The jetpack gave out too early to reach the Doctor, and Quote fell onto his stomach with the sword gripped in his right hand. He was still too far away to directly attack, and even if he were to run the rest of the distance he wouldn't be able to save his friends in time. Only one idea came to mind.

"Malco! Catch!"

With a mighty grunt, Quote threw the sword the rest of the distance. It spun through the air in an arc, drawing the eyes of the stunned Mimiga watching in their cages, and passed over the Doctor's head. He could no longer see anything behind their monstrous enemy, and he had no idea if his impromptu strategy worked.

The Doctor was right on top of the pair of robots when he abruptly stopped moving with a jolt. His raised limbs slowly fell to his sides, and even the Red Crystal had ceased orbiting around him. An incomprehensible gurgling sound croaked from his mouth as the mutant took a half-step backwards and collapsed. Quote could see now that his plan had succeeded; Malco was tightly gripping the sword in his sharp metal fingers, having caught it and slashed directly through the Doctor's neck.

Their enemy lay flat on his back with his eyes and mouth wide open in an expression of shocked disbelief, staring up at the ceiling with an occasional twitch. Despite the cut to his throat, he wasn't bleeding for some reason. A red vapor poured steadily into the air from his wound, and his entire body began to wither. The Doctor gave one final gasp before disappearing in a blood-red mist, leaving nothing behind other than his ruined clothing. The Demon Crown's eye had stopped swiveling in place and was now a very dull brown in color. After a few moments, the vile artifact collapsed into a pile of dust with no additional fanfare. Without anything controlling it, the Red Crystal retreated up the staircase at the back of the room toward the floor above them.

 _"_ _We did it…"_


	48. Toward the End

Chapter 48: Toward the End

The room, which had been dead silent from the moment Malco delivered the finishing blow, erupted in celebration. Dozens of Mimiga all around them burst out cheering, clapping, and praising their robotic saviors from within their cages. Quote made his way over to his companions, still wincing from being slammed into the floor and that sensory overload from the Demon Crown but otherwise not damaged too extensively. His self-repair functions were already hard at work, and to his delight Curly was stirring where she lay as well. She rubbed at the top of her head with a pained grimace, but her injuries weren't much worse than his own. The same couldn't be said for Malco, who had dropped the sword and fallen onto his rear with his cracks and scratches painfully visible.

"Ooh, my head…" Curly groaned. "What happened? Did we win?"

 **"** **A-a-afiiiirmative. The Doctor has been d-defeated."**

She looked just as unnerved at his condition as Quote, but Malco gave the two a smile (at least, the closest thing his face could make to one) even despite one of his eye lenses being so badly cracked it was one light poke away from completely shattering.

 **"** **Lighten up, fr-fr-friends!"** he continued in a sputtering voice. **"We've won, and the Demon C-Crown is no more!"**

Curly's eyes widened, and she broke into a smile. She beamed at the two of them, listening to the chorus of cheers emanating from the Mimiga. Loudest of all, Quote realized, were the Colons in their cell, as they danced and hugged one another tightly, praising their "robot angels" with improvised songs of heroism.

"Come on, let's help everyone get out of these cages," she said with a weary grin.

Quote nodded and began working his way along the right side of the room, picking up Spur to blast apart the locks. With every cage he opened, its occupants would joyfully crowd around him and offer more words of congratulations. He looked behind him to see that Curly and Malco were subjected to a similar treatment, and he could practically feel the admiration in the air. The soldier was injured, fatigued, and sore, but he allowed himself to relish in their hard-fought victory. He smiled triumphantly to himself as he freed the last of the Mimiga on his side and rejoined his two allies, putting his hat back on in the process.

"I can't believe we won," Quote remarked, still grinning.

 **"** **There was n-n-never any doubt! You and Curly are unstoppable."**

He put an arm around Malco to help him stand up.

"You pulled your weight too. You even got the last hit in."

The robot chuckled bashfully.

 **"** **Ha ha… the imp-important part is that we've succeeded."**

Curly looked more serious all of a sudden.

"Not yet, we haven't. We still need to get rid of the Core, so nothing like this will happen again. Some of the Mimiga have already eaten the red flowers, remember?"

 **"** **I'm d-detecting its magical signature coming from the floor above us, but something is different about it t-this time. We m-must be cautious…"**

Quote frowned at him.

"'We?' You're not coming with us in your condition."

"He's right," Curly added. "You have to stay behind. We'll handle it, okay?"

Malco looked like he wanted to protest, but before he could get a word out his right arm snapped off at the elbow. He merely stared at the remaining half of his limb.

 **"** **Ah… I-I see… very well, perhaps it would be best for me to avoid any f-f-further battles."**

The mortified look on Quote's face was matched by Curly.

 **"** **W-w-worry not, replacing my arm should be a simple task. Go on, finish the mission once and for all! I will b-be supporting you wirelessly again."**

Though still greatly concerned for Malco, Quote grabbed the sword off the floor and sheathed it beside Spur. Mimiga still crowded all around the trio, chanting happily and firing off dozens upon dozens of questions for them. Out of curiosity, he looked around but couldn't spot Sue anywhere among them. His heart sank. Had she been one of the mutants they'd passed outside? If not, then where was she?

Curly was reuniting with her children, joyously hugging them and ruffling their fur. She also did something like what she'd done to Quote earlier, gently placing her mouth on the tops of their foreheads with her lips puckered. Once again he found himself wondering what the gesture meant, but seeing how happy she was made up for the confusion. She looked positively radiant in his eyes.

"…and this is my other friend, Malco. He's been a big help to Quote and me, so I need you to look after him while we finish up, okay?"

With that, she walked back over to his side. A path was cleared in the crowd of Mimiga, allowing them to make their way to the staircase leading further up. The two waved one last time at the sea of white fur, spotting Malco in the back, and began their ascent. These steps were much longer than the first ones, leading so far up that after a while the Mimiga below were little more than a white mass.

"Curly," Quote said once they were far enough to be out of earshot, "Are you sure about this? If we destroy the Core, there's no telling what could happen to them, the Gaudi, and everyone else…"

Her smile faded.

"Yeah, I know. We might be responsible for the destruction of the island… but one way or another we can't let the red flowers be abused ever again. Do you not want to destroy it?"

"No, I think we need to go through with this…"

"Ahahaha… I like the way you think."

The third voice surprised both of them, and they snapped their gazes upwards to see Cthulhu on the stairs further ahead. He was staring at the pair of soldiers with an even wider smirk than usual.

"Well done on your victory," he hissed softly. "From the moment I first saw you, I sensed potential… that was so long ago, and yet here you stand, having _surpassed_ my expectations. You have managed to defeat not just one wielder of the Demon Crown, but two. Once more, well done."

Quote's hand strayed toward Spur, as he wasn't sure if Cthulhu was about to attack them or not. His crooning voice and strange mannerisms didn't give off an air of trustworthiness.

"It was you who found us ten years ago, wasn't it?" Curly asked at his side. "You were there when we fought Miakido, and you separated us when we lost our memory. Why?"

He chuckled.

"Very clever, Miss Brace. I found the pair of you barely alive, and predicted that you would one day be able to put a stop to this once and for all. However, your injuries were problematic. Fearing that the Demon Crown's influence would have made you more dangerous to your surroundings than anticipated, I decided to send you away from one another until I could be certain of your safety. I left you hidden within the Sand Zone to recover, and while I didn't anticipate a decade-long reboot process, here you are nonetheless."

Cthulhu pointed a scaly, clawed finger down at Quote.

"Your friend, on the other hand, had suffered far greater internal damage. I left him in the care of an old man who possessed a great degree of engineering skill. I believe he was a deserter from the war, who had arrived to assist the other soldier robots… beyond that, I know nothing of him."

So that hermit in the first cave had told the truth. He was about to question Cthulhu further, but the hooded creature had vanished once again.

"We still don't know what's up with him," Curly sighed, "but we shouldn't focus on that right now. Let's go destroy the Core and be done with this."

Quote nodded, and they climbed the remaining stairs in silence. At the top was what had to be the highest point on the island, a long corridor dug into the mountain. It was almost pitch-black in there, but they could still see the Core waiting for them at the very back of the room, surrounded by its guardians. Two notable differences caught their attention: not only were there much more than five of the smaller creatures this time, but the moss covering all of the egg-shaped entities was an icy blue rather than brown. The Core itself still bore scars from their previous fight with it.

 **"** **Connection established,"** Malco's voice sounded from their receptors. He still sounded feeble, but his speech was at least clear. **"Something is wrong with the Core; last time it was preventing me from contacting you… it is not dead, yet not quite alive according to my analysis."**

Quote began to charge Spur's laser as they approached it.

"Let's just finish it off, then."

"That's far enough!"

He and Curly stopped short at the sound of Misery's voice. She warped into the room, standing between them and their target with a scowl. Quote could see the marks from her earlier battle with his companions; her normally smooth hair was a frayed mess, and her robes were tattered and burned. The witch looked like she was having difficulty staying on her feet.

With a slight flick of her staff, she caused a second person to materialize in front of her. Quote immediately recognized the unconscious Mimiga's blue sweater- it was Sue. She lay at Misery's feet, not moving but clearly alive.

"If you value this girl's life, step away from the Core."

The soldiers both raised their weapons in response, but the witch pointed her staff down at Sue threateningly. Not willing to take the risk, Quote holstered Spur and took a few steps backwards. Curly followed suit, her glare matching his.

Misery smirked at them.

"Interesting! Most robots wouldn't concern themselves with a single life over their mission, but you've surprised me yet again. I still can't believe you actually managed to defeat the new King."

"Why are you standing in our way?!" Curly shouted. "The Doctor is dead, your curse should be broken now! Aren't you free?"

"It's not that simple…" the witch replied shortly. "But that's irrelevant. I'll offer you two a deal: you can destroy the Core and die with this island, along with everyone on it… or you can turn around and leave, then forget you were ever here. If you agree to abandon this place, I promise to spare this girl's life. If you don't…"

Misery's sharp red eyes flickered between the soldiers and Sue, who she prodded with the business end of her staff.

"…well, you can fill in that blank yourself. Understand?"

Quote snarled, but didn't have the chance to further react as the room suddenly began to tremble. The Core and its small counterparts shivered from the movement but otherwise remained still. After a few seconds, the tremor stopped abruptly, leaving a tense confusion in the corridor.

 **"** **ALERT!"** Malco shouted in their heads. **"I'm detecting an impossibly strong magical energy! It's… it's the Doctor!"**

 _"_ _You shall not escape…"_

The voice was definitely his, but it emanated from no discernible source. All around them, a sinister laugh echoed across the room. Misery turned her head with an expression between fury and horror.

"What? Who goes there?!"

Seeping out of the floor was the same red gas that the Doctor had evaporated into, in the center of which was the Red Crystal. It hovered in the air between Misery and the Core, throwing an eerie light across the room.

 _"_ _Ha ha ha… oh, have you forgotten the voice of your master already? Foolish girl."_

His voice was coming from the gemstone itself, with an unsettlingly delighted tone.

 _"_ _The Red Crystal truly is spectacular. Raw power fills me even now… my physical body may have been destroyed, but my mind is fully conscious and clearer than ever. See me as I am, a super-human!"_

Sue had woken up by then, and instantly fled to Quote and Curly upon seeing the swarm of red gas behind her. She hid behind the two as they gripped their weapons in anticipation of whatever the Doctor had in store. Misery didn't bother stopping her, instead staring at the Red Crystal with clenched teeth and tight fists.

 _"_ _What's wrong? Does my new form frighten you? Am I dreadful to behold, Misery? AM I?"_

"Silence!" the witch growled, taking aim with her staff. "How dare you try to cheat death, scum?! You sicken me! Begone!"

She chanted loudly, casting bolt after bolt of lightning at the Red Crystal. Her spells had no visible effect, merely passing through it and harmlessly striking the side of the Core.

 _"_ _How unfortunate…"_ the Doctor's voice crooned. _"A fool who forgets her master has no need for free will. You shall spend the rest of your days in your rightful place as my puppet."_

The red mist surrounding the gem shot forward and enveloped Misery, causing her to let out a screech of agony. Quote could only watch in horror while she began to change in shape. Her body stretched to nearly twice its original height, tearing her robes apart in the process. Misery's hands and feet became oversized claws, her eyes bulged and became entirely black, a short tail poked out from her back, her ears extended to be shaped like knife blades, and her lower face contorted into a form not unlike a rounded beak with her nose disappearing altogether.

"W-we've got to go!" Sue called, snapping Quote and Curly's attention to her as she made a run for the stairs.

In a brief flash, Cthulhu had appeared before them. He waved a hand at the Mimiga, and she vanished from the room altogether. Something was different about his expression. He no longer had a toothy smile but rather a concerned grimace.

"I've sent her down to your friend below. She will be safe there while you- aargh!"

His body went completely rigid, and his gaze locked with the transformed Misery's. Quote saw a familiarity in the way they stared at each other; even in her mutant form the witch looked at him as if surprised he was there. Her arm was outstretched, and it appeared that by some nonverbal spell she was preventing Cthulhu from moving.

 _"_ _And who is this?"_ the Doctor's disembodied voice chuckled. _"Another puppet? Strange, you exhibit a magical power similar to Misery's… very well! There's always room for one more in my army. Come and join her!"_

The Red Crystal sped toward him. Quote, in a desperate attempt to stop it, fired a blast from Spur, but the effort was in vain. It circled around the hooded man, showering him with energy before abruptly disappearing into thin air. Cthulhu began a transformation of his own, growing like Misery had and tearing his cloak open to reveal a human-shaped body of orange scales. His claws didn't increase much in size, but the main change was to his upper body. He sprouted sharp-pointed green tendrils along his face until only his bulging white eyes were left uncovered. Two points on his back stretched outwards, unfurling into leathery, bat-like green wings.

Even the Core was changing. In its darkened, smile-shaped center, a red mass began to form and took the shape of a human face. Two empty black holes glared out at the soldiers, with a nose being just barely visible below them. The face glowed as fiercely as the Demon Crown's eye had, and a peal of the Doctor's laughter rumbled out from it.

 _"_ _You two aren't leaving this place alive!"_

The transformed Misery and Cthulhu snarled and hissed at them, positioning themselves in front of the Undead Core. Quote began to charge Spur's laser, with Curly raising her gun at his side.

"Ready?" she asked, confident despite their overwhelming odds. "Let's put this guy down for good."

He nodded and pulled King's sword out as well, steeling himself as the real battle began.


	49. Undead

Chapter 49: Undead

Malco was technically incapable of experiencing pain, but he could still feel how much of a wreck his body was at the moment. His sensory receptors were hot from stress, and his outer shell had sustained more damage than it was ever meant to for a robot like him. Fortunately, while his body was in critical condition his inner computer was stable enough. He could still see Quote and Curly facing down their enemy- the Undead Core apparently didn't block his transmission like its original form- and was already beginning to think of a strategy for them.

The crowd of Mimiga which had surrounded him earlier had mostly dispersed by then, with only Curly's children staying behind to watch over him. Sue arrived as well, teleported there by Cthulhu, and walked to his side with concern still all over her face.

"Another robot? Are you here with Quote?"

 **"** **Correct. In fact, I'm helping him right now- look out, here they come!"**

* * *

Curly was immediately forced onto the defensive as Cthulhu lunged for her with his claws outstretched. For his bulk he moved surprisingly fast, clearing the distance in seconds and swiping at her throat. She reacted quickly and took a step backwards out of his reach, responding by slamming the butt of Nemesis into his stomach. A garbled cough sputtered from somewhere beneath the tendrils covering his face, and he stumbled back from the blow. His new wings unfurled and began to flap, lifting him into the air. The gust produced by them was strong enough for Curly to nearly be pushed off balance, but she adjusted her feet to stay up and opened fire on him as he swooped in to attack again.

Quote, meanwhile, had moved ahead to confront Misery and the Undead Core. He kept Spur's trigger held down to charge his attack, aiming at the red face in his main target. It had been the Core's weak point last time, and he assumed it would be the same case then. Strangely, its smaller counterparts were not hovering defensively around it but rather floating in a circle throughout the room. They seemed to have no interest in attacking him or Curly, which he decided was a good thing as they had enough threats to deal with.

With a loud shriek, Misery stretched her hands out and began her assault. A bright flare emitted from her palms, and a swarm of pale orange bats spontaneously appeared in front of her, streaking toward Quote. He slashed through several of them with King's sword, causing the creatures to simply dissolve into thin air. However, there were still too many for him to defend against, and the remaining bats collided with his body and left a burning sensation in the affected areas. Quote didn't back down, unleashing Spur's fully-charged laser blast. It sped through the air and struck Misery in her right shoulder, sending the transformed witch backwards. He didn't really want to harm her, seeing as she was still enslaved, but she was in his way nonetheless.

The Undead Core had freed itself from the wall and was slowly levitating across the room. It had yet to contribute to the battle, instead watching its two minions fight. Within its center, the red face of the Doctor swiveled upwards to reveal a smiling mouth of clenched teeth.

 **"** **I don't know what it's waiting for,"** Malco commented, **"but it's leaving itself wide open for attack."**

Curly was still fending off Cthulhu, keeping him at bay with more Nemesis shots. Dark energy clouds formed around his hands, which he then clapped together. A shockwave burst through the room, hurling the soldier against one of the small Core defenders. It didn't react to her touch in the slightest and continued to float in line with the others, leaving Curly on the ground with Cthulhu diving at her again.

 **"** **I've determined his trajectory. Roll to your right and fire upwards!"**

She did as Malco suggested, tumbling over to the side. Sure enough, her enemy swooped above where she'd been less than a second earlier and completely missed a slash with his claws. Curly spun herself around, shooting him in the abdomen. Despite having upgraded her rifle into the Nemesis with his own magic, Cthulhu was clearly affected by the blasts. His momentum carried him further past her, and he crashed headfirst into the floor.

"Thanks for the save, Malco."

 **"** **No worries. Get moving, Quote needs your help!"**

The other soldier was engaging the Undead Core itself. He unloaded another Spur laser into its blood-red face, earning a furious roar for his efforts. Its teeth swiveled downwards to reveal the hollow eye sockets again. Quote aimed his gun toward them, curious as to whether he could deal more damage by attacking it there, but he was interrupted before pulling the trigger. Misery was back, casting a lightning bolt from her palms which struck the ground just in front of him. He was thrown backwards and landed hard on his rear, dropping both of his weapons. Curly had made it to his side by then and fired on Misery before she could finish him off. The transformed witch backed away, bringing her arms up to defend her face.

Quote picked up Spur and got back to his feet, taking aim again. His charged laser slammed into the Undead Core's face, and while it was certainly damaging the beast he wasn't doing as much as he would have liked to. Curly shot at it as well, scoring multiple direct hits but harming it even less than him.

"Can we really beat this?" she asked upon realizing how little they were doing.

"We have to! Just keep shooting!"

 **"** **Behind you-"**

The pair were thrown to the side in opposite directions when the ground beneath them exploded. Cthulhu had rejoined the fray and cast a fireball at the soldiers, spreading his wings apart threateningly.

Quote activated the Booster and flew high into the air, landing on one of the Undead Core's small counterparts. It didn't stray from its mindless path, merely carrying him along toward the main beast. He shot it with yet another Spur blast, but even he was beginning to question their odds.

* * *

On the floor below, Sue and the Colons were listening to Malco shout instructions with expressions ranging from concerned to terrified. Their hopes rested on the two soldiers fighting tooth and nail above them, and based on the third robot's current assessment the battle wasn't going well. Malco himself remained on the ground with his legs folded in. His gears were damaged, his processor was hot, but still he continued to analyze the situation to the best of his ability.

 **"** **Curly, flank from the right side and take cover behind the lower-flying defender Cores! Misery has yet to notice you, and she and Cthulhu are heading left. Quote, keep their attention for just a little longer. They don't seem to be working well in unison, and are attacking one at a time instead."**

The Colons shifted nervously where they sat in front of him, looking between one another for some form of consolation in such a bleak time. Sue, meanwhile, had turned her attention to Malco's discarded weapon. Napalm sat a short distance away from him.

"Hey you, does that gun still work?"

 **"** **It is empty of missiles, but it retains its ability to launch fireballs."**

Malco looked at it as well. Understanding that his friends needed heavier firepower, he began struggling to get up.

 **"** **Everyone stay here, I will bring it to them…"**

His legs were shaking hard from the stress, and he wound up falling back to the ground.

 **"** **Ugh… I may have underestimated my damage…"**

Sue wandered over to Napalm, lifting it up with her front paws. It was clearly heavy for her based on her grunts of exertion, but she somehow managed to lift it up off the ground.

"I'll do it. You keep watching them, got it?"

As much as he didn't want her to be in harm's way, Malco knew that in his current state he'd never make it up the long staircase in time. He nodded at Sue, who began to climb the spiral as fast as her short legs could carry her. The Colons watched her go as well, shouting words of encouragement to their fellow Mimiga.

 **"** **Please hurry, little one. Quote, Curly! Sue is bringing Napalm up to you!"**

* * *

"WHAT?!" Curly shouted, taking cover behind one of the small beasts as ordered. "She can't come up here, stop her before she gets herself killed!"

 **"** **My legs are malfunctioning, and I cannot catch up to her. I am staying here with the Colons in the meantime."**

Hearing that her children hadn't left the area made her even more worried, but Curly didn't have time to focus on that. She fired on the Undead Core from her hiding place, striking it in the side of its face. With an enraged howl, the red skull-like visage turned to face her. The smaller counterpart she'd hidden behind was continuing to float along the side of the room, leaving her exposed as the main one finally began to attack personally. A pair of smoldering rocks launched from somewhere within its eye sockets, bouncing across the floor and exploding once they approached her. Curly covered her face with an arm just in time to feel hot shrapnel blow against her bare skin, cutting her torso and forearms.

Quote was leaping across the higher-floating defenders of the Undead Core, propelling himself between them with the Booster. He was too preoccupied to attack it, as Misery and Cthulhu were keeping him on the defensive with repeated magical strikes. As Malco pointed out, the two weren't much of a team and didn't put their numerical advantage to good use, instead attacking him one at a time. Even so, they had drawn his attention away from their main enemy.

Dodging another swarm of bats from Misery, he made his way to the next small Core in the line and looked for his partner. She was still fighting from the ground, spraying more shots at the red face. It swiveled back up to expose its clenched teeth, which spread apart with a roar. Quote felt his heart briefly stop when a massive ball of white-hot energy fired out of its gaping mouth, and memories of their last encounter with it came back to him. The blast shook the entire room upon striking the floor a short distance from Curly, launching her backwards. She landed hard on her back, wide open for any one of their enemies to finish her off.

Quote gave up on his attempt to damage the Undead Core, using the Booster to rocket to her side. Fortunately she was still moving, but the blow had clearly dazed her. While she attempted to stand again, he stood defensively in front of the fallen soldier with Spur charging. Cthulhu flapped his wings and lunged for them, claws outstretched and crackling with dark energy.

 **"** **Dodge to your left and counterattack!"** Malco shouted.

In one swift motion, the soldier stepped aside and let him pass harmlessly by, then brought the hilt of King's sword down on Cthulhu's hooded head as hard as he could. The transformed mage crumpled to the ground a short distance away from Curly and didn't move again. Quote wasn't sure if he'd killed him or not, but he couldn't worry about that at the moment.

 **"** **Excellent! Don't let your guard down, I'm detecting another buildup of energy in the Undead Core!"**

Not only that, Misery was charging some attack of her own. Blinding electricity flared in her palms, condensing into what would no doubt be the largest lightning bolt she had to offer. With Curly only just beginning to stand up again, Quote knew that their odds of enduring both magical strikes were slim. He kept the sword gripped tight as if planning to deflect the attacks.

Before either of his opponents could unleash their charged energy, a blur of orange flashed past him and slammed into Misery. She lost control of the electricity stored between her palms, causing it to spark out in all directions. Quote narrowly avoided a bolt that struck the floor to his right- luckily it missed Curly as well- and watched as the transformed witch collapsed to the ground like Cthulhu had. Among the objects struck by her untamed magic was the Undead Core, through which electricity surged. It appeared to have been momentarily stunned by the sudden attack.

Sue was standing at the top of the stairs, clumsily balancing Malco's weapon on her shoulder. Her short height prevented her from holding Napalm as intended, so one end of it was leaned against the floor while the other was pointed up like a mortar. She stared with wide eyes at the downed Misery, as if not quite believing she'd actually managed to hit something with her hurried shot.

"Nice going!" Curly shouted to her, picking up Nemesis from where it had landed. "You saved our necks there!"

The Undead Core had recovered from being stunned and was opening its mouth to charge another blast. With both of its pawns down for the count, an unimaginable fury seemed to emanate from the red face in its center.

 _"_ _Suffer! Suffer!"_ the Doctor's voice roared as white-hot energy illuminated the beast's throat.

 **"** **He is open for an attack!"** Malco pointed out. **"Aim into his mouth!"**

Quote already had Spur fully charged. He raised his arm and fired one last laser into the designated area. Curly sprayed Nemesis down the Undead Core's throat as well, and Sue- following their example since she couldn't hear the third robot- pitched in with another Napalm blast. Their combined attacks ruptured the monster's innards, and the Doctor's twisted laughter was instantly replaced with a long, inhuman screech. The Undead Core's mossy shell smoldered and cracked, allowing rays of light to filter between the openings all over it. Then it exploded, filling the entire room with a blinding flash and throwing sharp rock fragments in every direction. All that could be heard was a long, agonized scream from the disembodied voice of the Doctor.

* * *

"The helicopter's good to go!"

Momorin was standing beside the vehicle in question, looking toward the temple with great concern. She and Itoh- who was currently inside the cockpit preparing it to take off- had made their way up to the surface of the island via the same rocket used by the robots, and escape was within their reach at last.

Itoh poked his head out the rear door of the helicopter, a relieved grin on his face. Despite having the body of a Mimiga, he seemed confident that he could fly it nonetheless.

"Fuel level is sufficient, and all systems are operational. We can take off whenever we want! Ha ha… I didn't think we'd really be able to escape."

She didn't fully share his enthusiasm. As excited as she was to get to safety, Momorin had heard nothing of Sue or Kazuma and was beginning to fear the worst. Those three Mimiga who had hidden away with her were safe, having separated from her in the Plantation to find a way back to their village, but the robots hadn't returned from their battle with the Doctor. Had they beaten him?

"I wonder if they're okay…"

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden quake that tore through everything around her. A deafening rumble drowned out even the whirring of the helicopter's blades, and Momorin nearly lost her balance with how unsteady the ground felt.

"An earthquake?!" she sputtered, trying not to fall over. "Did something happen to the Core?"

"Momorin, get in! We need to go!" Itoh shouted over the noise. He ran back into the helicopter to finalize its preparations. As she turned to follow him, however, she noticed something coming toward them. It was a quartet of small Mimiga, running as fast as they could as the very ground beneath their feet began to crumble apart.

* * *

Quote's eyes shot open when he felt the tremors begin. He was on his back, dazed after their hard-fought battle but nevertheless alive. Looking around, he saw Curly and Sue nearby in similar positions. Nothing remained of the Undead Core save for a few broken shards strewn across the dark chamber. Misery and Cthulhu, meanwhile, were nowhere to be seen.

"Oh no…"

The voice was Sue's, who pulled herself up and began pointing at the staircase leading down frantically.

"T-the island's starting to fall! Come on, we've gotta get out of here before this place collapses on top of us!"

He looked to Curly, who shared the girl's worried expression, and scrambled to his feet. Sue had already sprinted toward the stairs, with the soldiers hot on her trail while the temple walls began to crumble. The three descended four steps at a time in a mad dash to escape, making it into the room where Quote had fought the Doctor not long before. Cages which had once housed Mimiga now lay scattered throughout the area, having been knocked over by the tremendous earthquake. The only occupant of the room was Malco, back on his feet at last. He waved them down urgently, standing beside the next flight of stairs to the throne room below.

 **"** **Thank goodness you're okay!"** he warbled as they descended together. **"I've sent the Colons ahead to the helicopter outside, as I recall Doctor Sakamoto saying she and Itoh would make their way up here as well to fly it."**

"Mom's safe?!" Sue cried.

 **"** **Yes, I believe so! Listen, there's something important you should know: the island is falling-"**

"We figured that out already!" Curly yelled, struggling to be heard over the deafening rumble.

 **"** **-that isn't all! I'm detecting a magical force stronger than anything else we've encountered so far. The island isn't collapsing due to gravity; something is** ** _pulling_** **on it!"**

Quote paused in his step as they reached the front door of the temple. Sue and Curly looked at him expectantly, wondering why he'd stopped in such a dire situation.

"Malco. This magical force, is it coming from something physical?"

 **"** **I haven't had much time to analyze it, but I believe it is. I noticed it exactly after you destroyed the Core."**

The soldier nodded. His memory was flashing back to the Mimiga, to Jenka, to the Gaudi, to everything living on the floating island that could possibly die once it crashed into the earth below.

"Could we stop it from dragging the island down if we deal with it?"

Malco hummed in thought.

 **"** **I suppose it's possible. The Core seems to have been inhibiting this force, whatever it is. Are you suggesting-"**

"Yes. Tell me where to find it, and I'll destroy it right away."

"I'm going with you," Curly said. By the adamant tone of her voice he instantly knew she wouldn't change her mind no matter what.

 **"** **I cannot directly determine the source's location,"** Malco remarked with a worried beep, **"but the magical signature appears to be emanating from the opposite side of this temple."**

Quote nodded again.

"Okay, Curly and I will find this thing and take it out. Malco, get Sue to safety just in case. There's no telling what could happen now. Go!"

The latter pair looked at the soldiers hesitantly, knowing the risk of splitting up. If Quote was wrong, then he and Curly would almost certainly perish with the island. As if finalizing the decision for them, a stone pillar collapsed from the temple and landed between the four with a crash. Malco at last gave them a thumbs-up with his one remaining arm, then turned to half-drag Sue further back toward where the helicopter had been.

Quote looked to his partner, who cradled Nemesis in her arms with a steadfast expression. The two didn't speak, instead beginning to run around the side of the Doctor's temple in search of a way to find what was dragging the island toward the earth.

Their final mission had begun.


	50. Entombed Madness

**Author's Note:** The penultimate chapter has arrived!

* * *

Chapter 50: Entombed Madness

While Malco was greatly concerned for his two friends going off by themselves again, he soon realized that he had more immediate troubles at the moment. Once he and Sue had made it out of the temple and past the ruined base camp from earlier, it became apparent that the helicopter was gone. This, he assumed, meant that Momorin and Itoh had indeed made it to the island's surface and escaped- hopefully bringing the Colons with them since he'd sent the four out earlier.

That was good for their sakes, but it also left him and Sue without a means of escaping themselves. The pair stood at the very edge of the crumbling island, staring off into the vast blue sky as the ground beneath them threatened to crack open and swallow them whole.

"Crap, there's nowhere to go!" Sue yelled. "We can't stay here or we'll fall back underground… come on, we need to jump!"

Malco knew it was a suicidal move; neither of them could possibly survive a seven-mile drop to the earth below. Despite that, there weren't really any other choices for them at the moment, and staying where they were didn't strike him as a good idea either. Sue had already jumped before he could respond, swiftly disappearing from view around the edge of the island. With a resigned beep, he leaped as far off the edge as his legs could carry him. The wind howled past his audio receptors as he plummeted through the air. He could see Sue not far ahead of him, her limbs flailing every which way, and he silently cursed himself for allowing the two of them to jump to their deaths.

That is, until his fall was abruptly broken by an impact with something firm. He snapped his head around in astonishment to see that he'd landed on a green, scaly figure that gently soared through the air. Malco realized what it was almost immediately: a dragon hatchling, just like the ones he'd battled in the Egg Corridor. He was draped across its back on his stomach, and seated just in front of him were two familiar humans, who he remembered as Kazuma and Professor Booster. Quote had told him about meeting them on the island's outer wall while he was unconscious, but Malco was no less surprised to see them again, having come to his rescue.

"That was close!" Kazuma said at the front, sitting just behind the dragon's long neck. "You're lucky I came by, you know."

 **"** **Sue!"** the robot yelped, pulling himself up to sit more comfortably. **"She jumped too! Where is-"**

Her brother grinned at him.

"She's fine, I caught her. Just in time, I might add."

Kazuma was pointing toward the front of his dragon, where Malco could see Sue hanging from the tip of its jaws by nothing but the back her sweater. The human-turned-Mimiga was understandably terrified in her current position, shouting for help in a half desperate, half furious voice.

"See? Safe and sound. How's it hanging, sis?"

"I'm going to _murder_ you, Kazuma!" she shrieked. "You and your- your dragon?! You hatched this?"

While the two had their very loud reunion, Professor Booster turned to Malco with a more serious look on his face.

"The island is falling, so I assume the Core was destroyed… where is Quote?"

He thought back to his friends who had gone off on their own. Malco couldn't detect them any more due to magical interference from whatever was pulling on the island, so he had no way of knowing what they were doing.

* * *

Quote and Curly had sprinted around the side of the temple and found themselves staring at something resembling a mausoleum. The small building was colored light orange with red pillars supporting its corners, and its roof held various ornate statues of figures armed with spears and swords. Along the front, in blocky yet finely-chiseled lettering, a simple greeting presented itself to the soldiers.

 _"_ _Welcome to Hell!"_

"This looks promising," Curly said. "Is whatever's dragging the island down in here?"

Quote stepped closer to the mausoleum, upon which its heavy stone doors flew open through some unseen force. A long spiral staircase awaited them inside, illuminated by gently flickering torches.

"No time to waste," he muttered. The island was still falling with them on top of it, but for some reason staring into the winding steps made him stop feeling the rumbling ground and replaced the sensation with an unknown dread. He mustered up his courage and began to descend.

Once they were both inside, the door slammed shut behind them and the stairs withdrew into the wall like some sick prank. The soldiers cried out in alarm as they fell down the semi-dark shaft, landing after twenty or so seconds in a heap with Curly on top. As if they hadn't suffered enough surprises, a disembodied voice began to speak to them.

 _"_ _Did you know that the witch Jenka had a younger brother?"_ it crooned, echoing across the orange tiling of the strange underground sanctuary they'd fallen into. _"His name was Ballos. Like his sister, he possessed magical powers unlike any living man. The siblings lived in a kingdom of humans on the surface world, using their powers to help those around them."_

It was impossible to ignore the omnipresent voice, but even so they had bigger concerns. Curly's fall had been painful but hadn't harmed her much. The same couldn't be said for Quote, who not only had landed on the bottom but also directly on one of his feet at an awkward angle. He stared wide-eyed in shock at his right leg, which had snapped and was now hanging limply by his false skin. The limb had nearly broken off altogether; it couldn't possibly be walked on.

Quote was too stunned with disbelief to focus on the pain, as agonizing as it was. He'd come all this way, just to be crippled at the last hurdle of their mission. His partner wasn't helping matters, kneeling beside him and frantically stammering out reassurances that everything was going to be fine while clearly not believing it herself.

"Curly," he said in a much steadier voice than either of them had expected, "you need to keep moving. Find whatever's bringing the island down and take it out."

"And just leave you here?" she forced out shakily. "I can't! I _won't!_ "

"You have to," Quote urged. "I can't walk with my leg like this, I'll just slow you down. Take the Booster and go on without me, okay? I'm counting on you to-"

He didn't get to finish, as she had shuffled behind him and was fiddling with the tow rope still attached to his waist. His eyes widened, but before he could protest, tell her that he couldn't be a burden in a time like this, Curly was already done. She had tied them together just like he'd done for her back in the Labyrinth and for Malco on the outer wall. Quote felt his legs hang loosely when she stood up straight, keeping them bound back-to-back with her carrying him. She began to jog through the orange tunnel, not accustomed to the feeling of his extra weight but refusing to let that stop her anyway.

"I'd never abandon you," she said in a kind but firm voice. "We're going to finish this together, even if I need to carry you out on my back the whole way."

Curly would have chuckled to herself if the situation was less dire; Quote had said something just like that before they battled General Miakido so long ago. Not that he remembered.

"Keep my back covered, got it? Who knows what we'll run into down here?"

Some inexplicable feeling was welling up in Quote's chest, but he didn't know how to respond other than nodding his head lamely. He allowed himself to be carried along, lightly bouncing with each step Curly took.

 _"_ _Ballos in particular,"_ the disembodied voice continued, _"served the kingdom with his most potent magical powers. He warded off hurricanes and blizzards, summoned rains in times of drought, and amplified harvests to bountiful proportions. The people adored their guardian wizard… even more so than their own king."_

"What's it talking about?" Curly asked as they kept moving, looking for any conspicuous object that could be the source of the island's collapse. Nothing stuck out to them; they were surrounded by a tunnel of nothing more than chiseled orange bricks.

"I don't know, but I've heard the name Ballos before," Quote replied. "When I almost drowned in the core, this voice whispered something about him to me… I don't remember what, really."

The pair forged ahead in silence, listening to the muffled rumbling of the island around them. Neither could predict how long they had before it impacted the earth, killing them and all of the inhabitants in the caves. Curly, forcing that thought out of her head, realized that they'd reached the end of the tunnel. A narrow hole in the wall led to another area of the sanctuary, and another story session from their unseen spectator.

 _"_ _Jealous of Ballos' popularity, the resentful king had him caught and locked in a dungeon. He was tortured without end for weeks, learning a cruel lesson of how horrid mankind could be… eventually, the wizard snapped."_

It was fortunate for them that the voice stopped talking there, as a new threat had presented itself to the soldiers. Crawling out of alcoves in the walls were swarms of small humanoids. The creatures wore blue robes that complimented their tanned skin and dark blonde hair. Behind each of them, a pair of feathery white wings flapped rapidly, keeping them airborne as they circled around the soldiers.

"Intruders!" one shouted in a highly nasal voice. "Butes, assemble! Don't let them through!"

Curly didn't slow down, running as fast as she could through the large chamber they'd entered. It, like the rest of the island, was beginning to fall apart, and chunks of the ceiling were falling toward them. Several Butes were crushed beneath the stones, but the others showed no fear and dove for them wielding thin spears. She took it all in stride, blasting her way through with Nemesis. Quote, tied to her back, did as requested and fended off the ones that were attempting to strike from behind. The sound of Spur's laser shots rang through the corridor, dropping countless Butes with each attack. None of the creatures got remotely near the soldiers, and before long those remaining had retreated further into the sanctuary.

"Nice work!" Curly praised while she kept moving. "Those things seemed really keen on stopping us. Maybe they're protecting what we're looking for!"

Quote grunted in agreement, as- sure enough- the narration began yet again.

 _"_ _Ballos lashed out with unparalleled fury. The magic that had once brought joy to the kingdom instead brought devastation. His mind weakened significantly by his torture, he could do nothing to stop himself from engulfing the king, his domain, and all who lived in it with hellish flames. In but a single night, he completely eradicated the life he once held so dearly."_

"That sounds awful…" Curly sighed. "But what's the point of it? Why are we hearing this?"

"There must be some significance to this story," Quote said, "we'll just have to find out as it continues. Anything up ahead?"

She narrowly avoided another falling chunk of the ceiling and looked down. A perfectly circular hole in the floor led into a lower section of the sanctuary, but it lacked a ladder or staircase for them to use, and the fall looked too great for either of them to withstand.

"Just a long drop into the next area. We'll both get hurt if I try jumping…"

Quote remembered what he had on his back. The Booster had thankfully not been damaged in their first fall, and it was still linked to his inner computer.

"I'll slow us down safely. Just go."

Curly didn't argue with him, confident that he knew what he was doing. She took a short hop form the ledge into the lower corridor, after which Quote activated his jetpack at half its maximum lifting power. They gently descended to the room below, where another horde of Butes awaited. The cherub-looking creatures had positioned themselves defensively throughout the long corridor, with some aiming bows at the soldier from above and others standing guard at narrow choke points between the elegant pillars supporting the roof. Slight tremors could still be felt, but otherwise it was impossible to tell the island was falling.

As she began to charge forward, Curly swept Nemesis in a wide arc in front of her. Butes scattered in every direction where her shots landed, loosening their defensive line. The guardians were more competent than before, however, and it didn't take long for them to close ranks.

"Quote, punch it again!"

The two rocketed into the air with the Booster, nearly scraping their heads against the ceiling. Arrows from the archer Butes zipped past but never struck their targets, as the soldiers had passed over their heads before their shared jetpack had to cool down again. They landed behind the first line of enemies, with Quote firing Spur to keep them away as Curly pushed ahead.

 _"_ _With Ballos driven mad by his unjust punishment, he could easily have destroyed the world. Jenka knew this and responded by imprisoning him within the ruins of the kingdom, which she then raised high into the air for safekeeping. So far from the realm of humans, she thought, he was unable to further harm anyone. That was the most she could do, for Jenka would not bring herself to kill her own brother in spite of everything he had done..."_

"This Ballos person must be what's making the island fall," Curly remarked as she dodged another volley of arrows. The Butes' defenses had tightened, and seemingly endless amounts of the winged creatures emerged from holes in the ground to confront them.

Quote blasted another row of their attackers.

"He could be hiding in the deepest part of this cave, but why is he pulling it down anyway?"

"Maybe he wants to free himself," she suggested. "Could he even survive the crash?"

"Let's not wait to find out. Are we almost out of here?"

Curly looked ahead to see that they were. Past the last line of Bute defenders was another narrow doorway. They were less than a hundred yards from it, but the air was filled with flying archers and spear-wielding enemies. Using the Booster would be too risky.

"I'm going to run straight through them! Hang on!"

Firing off a volley of Nemesis shots, she barreled through the final wave, even shoulder checking a Bute that tried to face her head-on. Curly felt their spears prod at her from multiple angles, tearing open her false skin more than once, but sure enough she made it through the door. A stone wall shut behind them, keeping the soldiers separated from their pursuers.

"We did it… you okay, Quote?"

"A little scratched up," he admitted, observing his own puncture wounds, "but I'll be fine. Where are we?"

 _"_ _In an attempt to capitalize on Ballos' fragmented mind,"_ the voice cut in again, _"Jenka's daughter Misery forced him to create an artifact harnessing his unspeakable power: the Demon Crown. Little did she realize that one person in particular had survived the rampage of Ballos. His son, in an attempt to thwart the witch before she could cause further destruction, confronted her directly. The cousins battled atop the highest point of the island, but Ballos' son quickly found himself outmatched, and Misery tauntingly transformed him into a twisted, scaly beast."_

"Scales?" Quote said aloud. "Could it be-"

"Shh! Don't interrupt!" Curly hissed, admittedly curious in the rest of the story.

 _"_ _Misery's hubris did not go unpunished, however. What little sanity remained in Ballos' mind allowed him to comprehend her selfish behavior, and she was cursed by him to forever be enslaved to the Demon Crown, unable to wear it herself. If the artifact is destroyed, she will be freed from her curse. But…"_

The voice died down before it could finish. Puzzled but nonetheless pressed for time, Curly began to descend the short spiral staircase before them. They were no longer in an illuminated area of the sanctuary, as the hall became darker and darker. Being careful not to bump Quote against the low ceiling, she felt her way forward in search of an exit.

 _"_ _So long as Ballos lives, the Demon Crown cannot truly be destroyed. It is tied to his magical spirit and will reform itself endlessly while his heart beats. His eternally enraged soul forever powers his evil creation."_

The soldiers shared a grim look. Based on what they had learned, Ballos was beyond reasoning. He was dragging the island toward its doom, which they obviously hoped to stop, but he was also directly responsible for the existence of the very artifact they'd been sent to destroy so many years ago.

After a few more seconds of groping blindly through the dark, Curly felt the shape of a curved door handle just in front of her. She pushed it down and flung the door open, after which a flash of light flooded the corridor. The exit to the sanctuary had led to a small tunnel in the side of the island with part of the rocky cliff open to give a sweeping view of the landscape below.

The worried realization that they had already fallen below the clouds struck both soldiers like a ton of bricks, and yet at the same time the island didn't appear to be descending as quickly as they'd imagined. Far beneath them, they could make out verdant green plains and hills. It would have been an entrancing sight had they not been more concerned with saving the island's inhabitants.

From in front of them, the familiar whirring sound of teleportation rang out. Cthulhu appeared between the soldiers and another door at the opposite end of the tunnel with a perfectly neutral expression on his scaly face. The mutations he'd suffered earlier were completely gone, but his robes were still in tatters.

"You have surpassed my expectations," he said quietly. "I knew you would be able to destroy the Core- even if I was forced to battle you- but I did not think you would brave the Blood-Stained Sanctuary…"

"It was you, wasn't it?" Curly asked. "You were the one telling us that story in there. You're Ballos' son, and Misery's cousin."

The green-hooded being nodded his head slowly.

"To prevent my father from trying to crush himself underneath the island, the Core was created by Jenka. I subtly guided the pair of you and your talkative friend toward it, as once it was dealt with this island would fall. It will finally grant my father the death he so madly desires, and so very much deserves."

His gnarled fingers were curled into tight fists.

"My mother died because of his outburst, and he believes me to be dead as well. I will not stop you from trying to kill him, soldiers. You may succeed, and save the island, or you may fail and allow him to destroy himself with it. The outcome matters not to me; Ballos will die in either case and justice will have been properly served regardless of any additional casualties."

With that, Cthulhu vanished just as quickly as he'd appeared. Quote and Curly looked to one another with slight apprehension for what would be their final battle together. If Ballos was really as strong as he'd said, then there was no guarantee he would die merely from the island crushing him. They couldn't risk the Demon Crown reforming and falling into the wrong hands again, so their only option was to kill the insane wizard personally.

"We can do it," Quote said as confidently as he could. "We've been through everything together, and we can't afford to lose here. I'll have your back the whole time"

Curly grinned at him, sharing his motivation. All the hopes of the island's residents rested with them, and she wouldn't let them down. Before opening the last door to what she assumed was Ballos' prison, she paused in her step.

"What is it?" her partner asked. "Is something wrong?"

Quote felt one of her hands rest gently on the back of his head and pull him forward. Already confused as to what she was doing, his bewilderment only increased when their mouths connected for just a moment. Their heads were both awkwardly turned (they were still tied back-to-back), but somehow he didn't mind that. Her gesture, whatever it was, just felt _right_ to him despite only lasting a few short seconds. They pulled apart with her giving him a very soft smile.

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong."

Curly turned her head away from Quote as her cheeks flushed in delight. She couldn't believe what she'd just done, or how satisfying it felt. There was no time to relish in it, however, as they still had a job to do. The soldier opened the door to their final battle, her rhetorical heart beating madly for more than one reason.

The final room of the sanctuary was a massive, cube-shaped crypt lit by rows of softly flickering torches. A pale orange light spread across the chamber without leaving any shadows, even behind the six red support pillars arranged hexagonally in its center. They each had various glyphs of eyes carved into their sides, which all seemed to stare down at the two soldiers as they walked in. The chamber was littered with bones, though their origin couldn't be determined. Positioned directly in the middle of the pillars was a rust-colored throne, very complex in its design with spines and ridges extending in various patterns throughout its sides. A man was seated in it; and there was only one person he could have been.

Ballos, Curly decided, bore practically no resemblance to his older sister. Jenka was centuries old and looked the part, whereas he- for all intents and purposes- resembled a middle-aged man, his deeply tanned but smooth skin not looking remotely elderly. He was draped in an elegant white robe, with green accents and a pair of deep red eye insignias on the front. His unnaturally round head was devoid of hair, as if to put more emphasis on his face. Ballos wore a pleasant, almost welcoming smile as they approached him in his throne. His right eye was the same shade of crimson as the gemstone in the Demon Crown, while his left seemed missing altogether. A white indentation in the side of his head stared back at Curly, and she wondered if his missing eye had been the very gem that powered the Crown. Mortified by the thought, she tightened her grip on Nemesis and turned slightly so Quote could see him too.

"Welcome!" the old wizard said in a booming voice. "I am Ballos. Who might you be?"

They stared at him uncertainly. Curly answered after a moment of uncomfortable silence.

"I'm… Curly Brace, and my friend here is Quote."

"Such intriguing names!" Ballos laughed. "You are the first visitors I have had in a very long time… do you know why I am here?"

Her fists clenched even tighter.

"Your sister sealed you in this room so you wouldn't hurt anyone else in your rage…"

He smiled, to her disgust.

"Correct. Long ago, I allowed my magic to run out of control. My powers razed an entire kingdom to dust. The fires of my madness consumed even the wife who loved me, and the son who adored me…"

So Cthulhu had been telling the truth. Ballos really didn't know he was still alive.

"…and all I could do was laugh back then. I laughed and laughed at the carnage around me, delighting in my own twisted chaos."

Even now his wide smile didn't falter as he described the horrific scene. Both soldiers felt sick to their stomachs.

"Jenka sealed me in here after that," Ballos continued in such a nonchalant voice that Quote wanted more to punch him in the face than to shoot him. "My sister could not bear to kill me… perhaps she should have. In any case, here I am. I have waited a very long time for someone capable of bringing my untamed fury to an end. Come, brave warriors! Kill me! Or else..."

His eyes furrowed angrily, but his smile grew even giddier. Magical power streaked through his outstretched arms.

"I shall kill YOU!"

* * *

Kazuma's dragon eventually managed to catch up with the helicopter Momorin and Itoh had taken. To Malco's delight, the Colons were also visible within the vehicle. There was nowhere for them to land at the moment, but the dragon did place Sue down from its jaws into the open door of the aircraft. She leaped into her mother's arms, the two finally reuniting. Kazuma and Professor Booster remained on the dragon, but waved to their companions anyway.

Malco was still trying to detect _his_ allies within the island, but whatever magic was bringing it down had suddenly spiked in power. It continued its descent toward the ground, now only about four miles in the air. Kazuma had promised that they wouldn't fly too far from the island yet in case the soldiers needed to be rescued, so he could do nothing but hope that they would make it out.

It still felt strange for him to consider just how important they were to him. Traveling with them had given him a greater sense of purpose than anything he'd done as a member of Retrieval Team 9. They were more than just soldiers, more than just his allies. They were his friends, and he never wanted to lose them.

 ** _"Quote... Curly... my calculations don't matter; I am 100% certain you'll succeed. If anyone can save the island, it's you, so don't you dare give up!"_** ** _  
_**

* * *

Ballos didn't open with a magical strike as the soldiers had expected but rather charged across the room at a blinding speed as if planning to tackle them to the ground. Quote activated the Booster, launching them into the air and allowing him to pass harmlessly beneath the two. He skidded to a halt then leaped after them, closing the distance faster than either could react. Ballos was above them in mere seconds and smashed a fist down on the pair, slamming them back to the floor. Curly, ignoring the ache which was rapidly spreading through her body, scrambled to her feet to get out of the way as their opponent landed again. His sadistic grin didn't fade, not even when Quote shot him in the chest with a half-charged laser from Spur. The front of his robes smoldered, but he didn't show any sign of pain.

Curly was backpedaling, putting more distance between herself and their foe and showering him with Nemesis' lightning-shaped bullets. Ballos didn't even try to avoid them, taking several hits to the face as he charged yet again. His skin visibly burned where he'd been shot, but he didn't seem to care in his bloodthirsty rage. He swept a hand toward them, releasing a spontaneous wave of fire from his fingertips that traveled in a vertical crescent shape. Rather than use the Booster again, Quote threw his weight to the side as hard as he could, forcing Curly to stumble out of the way. Ballos had clearly been expecting them to dodge upwards again, as he leaped into the air a second time only to realize too late that the soldiers had moved in a different direction. Quote fired on his exposed left flank with as many shots as his trigger finger could manage. Even at its lowest possible charge, Spur was still impressively powerful. The numerous small lasers pelted the wizard's side, and judging by his smirk fading he definitely felt it this time.

"A little warning would've been nice," Curly muttered, having nearly fallen over. Even so, she realized that her partner's strategy had caused noticeable damage to their enemy and therefore didn't complain much.

Ballos was no longer smiling. His wide mouth had curled into a snarl, and his one remaining eye was a fiery orange. He stomped the floor, causing it to split apart and create a fissure beneath their feet. Curly jumped aside to stand on more stable ground and continued her barrage. Ballos protected his face by covering it with his forearms, leaving his stomach open to attack. Quote took advantage of this, unleashing a laser from Spur. The thick beam directly pierced his abdomen and came out the other side of his body, leaving a charred hole where it had hit.

Ballos stared wide-eyed at his wound, not saying a word. His gaze shakily turned up to look at them, and with a soft groan he sank to his knees. The soldiers stood with their weapons still gripped tight as his body faded from existence, like he was simply being erased before their eyes.

Neither of them had a chance to celebrate the victory, however, because the fight was evidently not over yet. Large chunks of stone tore themselves out of the walls and floor, congregating in midair and appearing to fuse. The resulting mass of rock was the same shade of light brown as Ballos' face, but the similarity didn't end there. A nose and mouth gradually took shape, carved by an invisible force into the stone just below a pair of eyes matching the wizard's. Its left eye hole was the same empty white, and its right glowed with a burning red energy. The boulders that hadn't joined the mass hovered in a circle around Ballos' reincarnated form, along with several of the square tiles that had been ripped from the floor.

"I'd say his weak spots are his eyes," Curly said, trying not to let herself be intimidated. She couldn't see any other part of the large rocky face that looked vulnerable. "Quote, can you get us up there?"

He nodded and activated the Booster, lifting the two up into the air toward their giant enemy. Curly landed on one of the floating tiles, inwardly surprised that it didn't collapse once she stepped on it. Either Ballos wanted to give them a better chance by providing makeshift platforms, or he was so far gone that even he couldn't tell what he was doing.

The boulders circling his new body continued to carve themselves, becoming perfectly spherical save for the numerous rocky spikes protruding from their centers. They rotated in midair, hurtling toward Curly one at a time and forcing the soldier to leap between the floating tiles to stay safe. Quote fired at the rocks with Spur to keep them away from his partner. The pistol, though powerful, didn't fire at a fast enough rate to ward off all of the attacks, and one particularly large rock slammed into them from the side.

By some miracle, none of its spikes hit either of the soldiers and just barely scraped between them. Unfortunately for Quote, the tow rope connecting them was torn in the process and he fell from the edge of the platform. Curly felt the sudden lack of his weight, reaching blindly behind her to try and grab him, but only wound up putting her hand on the hilt of King's sword. She yanked on it, pulling the blade from its sheathe but failing to save the person wielding it. Quote kicked on the Booster before he could crash into the floor, saving himself from a hard landing. He looked up toward the massive rock that Ballos had become, watching Curly continue to ride the floating tiles until she was directly above it with Nemesis in one hand and the sword in the other. To his shock, she leaped from her platform and fell straight into the glowing red eye, disappearing from sight as it swallowed her up.

 _"_ _What's she doing?!"_

Curly felt a burning pain rip across her body when the red energy passed through her, but it lasted only a moment before she found herself in the hollow center of the face-shaped stone. She wasn't sure what had compelled her to _jump_ into it, and yet it had worked nonetheless so she decided to simply appreciate that. Her left hand tightly gripped the hilt of Quote's sword as she looked around the red-tinted interior for something to strike at. Perhaps a glowing orb, representing the source of Ballos' power?

She found more than that. The wizard himself was hovering in the air with his arms outstretched and his head bowed, seeming to have magically reformed. His stomach still bore the hole from Spur's laser, but Ballos didn't show any sign of pain. In fact, his eyes were closed and he appeared not to notice her at all. Curly stepped up to him and, feeling a brief flash of pity for the insane man, slashed across his chest with the sword. It cut deep into him, and his mouth parted with a shocked choking sound. Not letting up, she unloaded as many rounds as Nemesis could handle before needing to cool down into the wound. His body quivered gently where he floated.

Ballos opened his eyes at last, and Curly could see not twisted malice in them but a warmer, more stable expression despite his grievous wound. He stared at her unblinkingly, taking very short breaths.

"…t-thank… you…"

His body began to disappear again, but it was different this time. His skin cracked, with light shining through from inside until he finally shattered in a blinding flash. The rocky sphere started to rumble around the dazed Curly.

Outside, Quote was still trying to fend off the remaining spiky boulders when they suddenly fell to the ground along with the floating tiles. Ballos' new body sagged and collapsed just as abruptly, smashing into the floor and throwing chunks of rock everywhere. Instantly he was filled with concern for his friend, buried among the rubble. He holstered Spur and made his way over. His leg was broken and unusable, but that didn't stop him from dragging himself across the debris of their former enemy. Had he somehow been killed from inside?

"Come on, where are you? Please be okay…"

Quote's tired limbs screamed at him from the effort, but he ignored that and began shoving aside large chunks of the stone face until at last he spotted his fellow soldier. She was caked in dirt and dust, and the rips in her skin were painfully visible to him, but she was alive nonetheless. Curly's eyes fluttered open to look up at him, and she grinned with a cough.

"Ugh… nice to see you again… is it over?"

"I think so…"

He reached out a hand to help her sit up. Thankfully, she hadn't been pinned under any of the stone fragments, so she was able to move freely unlike him. She began wiping the dirt out of her face and hair, with reasonable success.

"You had me worried there," Quote remarked. "Why did you jump into him?"

"I don't really know. The idea just sort of came to me, but it worked anyway."

She paused, squinting her eyes and concentrating on something he couldn't determine.

"Quote, do you hear that?"

Frowning, he listened for whatever she meant.

"No, I don't. I can't even hear the rumbling anymore."

He stopped short upon realizing what he'd just said.

"No rumbling… have we stopped falling?"

Curly huffed a short laugh and threw her fists in the air triumphantly.

"Yeah! We did it, Quote! We saved the island!"

She was fully laughing now, relieved at having completed their seemingly impossible task. Moreover, with Ballos dead the Demon Crown would never return. They hadn't just saved the island, they finished their ten-year-long objective too. Quote had a grin of his own and sat down beside her, letting himself relish in their victory. Once she had quieted down a bit, Curly looked back at him with that beautiful smile of hers and put an arm around his shoulder.

"We're still a great team, you know that? I wish Malco could be here to see this. I wonder where he and Sue went. Do you think they found a way off the island?"

Before he had the chance to respond, a different voice cut him off.

 _"_ _IT HURTS…"_

Their eyes simultaneously widened in shock; it had definitely been Ballos speaking. He was nowhere to be seen, but his voice was loud and clear.

 _"_ _SO HOT… THE PAIN… PLEASE, HELP ME…"_

Quote wondered if they were even able to help _themselves_ , as the walls were beginning to move inwards. The door they'd entered through was buried behind a large pile of rubble, leaving them with no visible way out. They backed up against one another, staring fearfully at the narrowing walls.

"Oh no… w-we're gonna be crushed!" Curly yelled. She grabbed Nemesis from where it sat on the floor and began desperately firing at one of the rocky surfaces. It didn't so much as budge, and the walls only continued to close in on them no matter what she did to it.

"No… this can't be the end…" she whimpered. Quote could feel her trembling against him, and looked her in the eyes sadly. With nowhere for them to run to, no way out, he wrapped his arms around Curly to comfort her as much as he could in their final moments together. She returned the embrace tightly, and they waited for the end without another word.

In that moment, Quote realized the full extent of what she meant to him. They had been partners for even longer than he could remember; their bond honed across their journey and tested against countless enemies of all varieties. The pair had even gone through a place calling itself Hell- and living up to that name- together, fighting as if they shared a mind. He valued Malco as a friend, no doubt, but with Curly it was something different. Something more.

Frustratingly, he was still unable to put to words what exactly that was even as they sat there in each other's arms.

Curly, unbeknownst to him, was struggling with nearly the same problem. She knew very well what she was feeling, the only problem was she couldn't bring herself to say it at the moment. Even though she knew that it might have been her only chance, her lips remained tightly sealed. She only hoped that Malco and the Colons would be able to move on without them.

A loud bang came from the ceiling, and they both heard and felt a crash a few feet to the side. A suitcase-shaped gray person was standing there, having burst in from above only seconds earlier. His expression was serious and urgent, which looked rather odd on his wide face.

"There you are! You look like you could use some help."

"Balrog?" Curly asked in disbelief, pulling herself apart from Quote.

"The one and only! Hold on tight, I'm getting you out of here!"

They wasted no more time talking and each grabbed onto one side of him. Once the two were secure, Balrog sprang back into the air through the tunnel he'd made on his way in, just barely getting out of Ballos' chamber before the walls slammed shut on where they had been a moment earlier.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Next time, the finale! Stay tuned for it in a few days!


	51. The Way Back Home

Endgame: The Way Back Home

"Look!" Kazuma shouted. "The island's stopped falling!"

Malco peered down at it hopefully. Sure enough, the floating landmass was no longer plummeting toward the earth, having stopped at about two and a half miles in the air. He couldn't detect the immense magical energy pulling it down any more, which only meant one thing.

 **"** **Quote, Curly… you really did it…"**

He wasn't concerned about the extensive damage he'd suffered; that could be fixed easily. In fact, he wasn't concerned about _anything_ at the moment. After dealing with all the island's hardships, their struggles were finally over. Malco knew that most of the credit belonged to his soldier friends, but for just a moment he allowed himself to feel like a hero as well.

* * *

"So, how's your head?" Curly asked Balrog. While he was rescuing them from Ballos' chamber, he'd tunneled headfirst through a part of the ground where the tremors had caved in his entryway. It didn't help that she and Quote were sitting _on_ his head, but neither of them had wanted to dangle precariously from his legs while he flew through the air. How he managed that was unclear, as Balrog was only flapping his arms like stumpy wings.

"A little beat up, but I'll be fine," he replied in a cheerful voice. "That was a pretty close call."

"Yeah, I thought we were scrap metal in there! You really saved our necks, big guy," she said with a grin. "Thanks so much, now that's two we owe you after you helped us in the Labyrinth."

Balrog paused for a moment.

"Don't thank me, I saved you because Misery asked me to."

The soldiers shared a look of confusion.

"Misery?" Curly asked, not for clarification but because she didn't quite believe it. "I thought she hated us. I thought _you_ hated us!"

"Not at all!" Balrog replied with a hearty laugh. "Misery's not the cuddliest person, but she doesn't really hate you. We were both slaves of the Demon Crown, and now that you've beaten Ballos we're free to do whatever we want."

Quote had somehow forgotten about that in the chaos of their final battle, but at any rate he was satisfied to have helped the Doctor's former henchmen. He looked around at the bright blue sky and the puffy clouds surrounding the island, feeling a most welcome sense of peace.

Of course, it helped that he and Curly had their fingers intertwined. They traded smiles without a word, each content with the other's presence.

"Look!" Balrog said abruptly, killing the mood somewhat. "Down there, it's Misery!"

The blue-haired witch was standing on the outer steps of the temple they'd battled the Doctor in, waving up at them.

"I think she wants to see you guys. Should I bring you down there?"

Curly thought about it for a moment, eventually deciding that Misery could be trusted now that they'd broken her curse.

"Sure, let's go hear what she has to- eh?"

Quote knew why she had stopped, as his receptor antennae were whirring noisily.

"Malco?" he asked slowly, wondering if he could even still connect to the robot.

 **"** **Quote! You're alive! Curly, too! Are you okay?"**

They shared a grin at his ecstatic voice.

"Good to hear from you, buddy," Curly said. "We're fine… well, Quote's leg is broken so I guess we're not fine. Where are you?"

 **"** **I'm with our human allies. Kazuma rescued Sue and myself with his dragon, and we've been waiting to hear back from you ever since. We're flying just below the edge of the island. By my analysis, I believe you are above us."**

"A dragon?" she mouthed to Quote, who was smirking at the memory of the hatchling. He looked down from Balrog's side to see the helicopter and the dragon soaring below them.

"Glad you're okay," Curly continued after a moment. "Balrog rescued us, and we're with him right now. Can you meet us at the Doctor's temple in a few minutes? Misery wants to tell us something."

 **"** **M-Misery?!"** Malco squawked. **"Isn't she one of our enemies? How can we trust her?"**

"The Demon Crown isn't controlling her anymore," she said cheerfully. "Just come on and meet up with us again, will you? There's nothing to worry about."

 **"** **I don't know if I trust her, but I do trust you. I'll be there shortly."**

Balrog descended to the island's surface, where Misery awaited. She had a strange look on her face, not exactly kind but not seething either. Curly hopped off of their carrier's head and helped Quote down, allowing him to lean on her for support. Not long after, Kazuma's dragon swooped into view and touched down a short distance away carrying him, Professor Booster, and Malco. The helicopter landed as well, with Momorin, Sue, Itoh, and the Colons inside. Understandably, all of them were hesitant to approach Misery.

"I wasn't expecting so many people to arrive," the witch hummed in a steady voice. "Listen. After all the harm I've done under the Doctor's command, I don't think I can ever make this up to you in full. I _can_ , however, undo at least some of the damage."

She chanted a short spell, and within the helicopter blue light flashed outwards. Everyone turned to look at it, only to find that where Itoh and Sue had been there were now two very different people. Actually… not different at all. Misery had changed the pair of Mimiga back to their human selves.

Itoh was a tall, rather pale man with neatly combed blue hair and unnaturally wrinkled skin for his age, likely due to his constant stress. He wore a lab coat that had spontaneously appeared with his transformation, most likely Misery's doing to prevent the others from seeing him without clothing.

Sue, meanwhile, bore less of a resemblance to Kazuma or their mother than expected. She was significantly darker-skinned than them, with narrower eyes and a much thinner build. Her hair, which she wore in a short ponytail, was the same shade of dark green. The blue sweater she'd been wearing as a Mimiga was still on her, as Sue hadn't gotten much bigger by changing back into a human.

"Hey, I'm me again!" the girl cheered in delight, jumping up and down.

Misery had the softest of grins on her face.

"There is a mild side effect: you may briefly transform again if you sneeze, but this should only be a temporary condition. In due time, you will become permanently human."

"Thank you for the help," Momorin said, "but why are you doing this now?"

"With the Doctor gone, I am free. And so are all of you. You may leave this place to return home, or remain here to continue your studies. We shall likely not meet again, but I wish you all good fortune with your future exploits."

"Heh heh heh… this is the kindest I've ever heard you speak, Misery."

The entire group snapped their heads in the direction of the temple. Cthulhu was slowly stepping out of it, his scaly hands folded behind his back. He wore his usual twisted smile, but didn't make any gestures other than a short nod at the witch.

"Oh, you're here… I suppose you want me to change you back as well?" Misery asked in a polite voice that didn't quite mask the ire she felt. It seemed that the cousins weren't especially fond of one another even with Ballos dead.

"No, that won't be necessary. I've grown rather accustomed to this body," Cthulhu chuckled, looking down at his reptilian fingers with a toothy grin. "I just came here to offer my congratulations to our soldier friends for their victory. Ah… I always knew they had the potential."

Quote spoke up for the first time, as something had been itching away at his mind ever since they met Cthulhu before fighting the Undead Core.

"Back in the Egg Corridor, when I still couldn't remember anything, you said you didn't know much about me. But you saved me and Curly ten years ago, and you even planned for us to destroy the Core when we woke up… why did you lie to me? You obviously knew MUCH more than you let on, but you sent me through the entire island to find the truth instead!"

Most of the people present had no idea what he was talking about, but Quote hardly cared. He could have received answers at the very beginning of his adventure, and yet the information had been deliberately withheld… it irritated him more than a little to think about. Cthulhu merely smiled at him and bowed his head slightly.

"Had I revealed the truth, you may have not wished to continue your exploration which led to your destruction of the Core. Besides, depriving you of your adventure would have been ever so unsatisfying, wouldn't you agree? You developed a personal motivation to keep searching, to help the humans and inhabitants alike."

The hooded reptilian seemed to ignore the glares coming from Quote, Curly, Misery, and even Balrog.

"I risked allowing you to travel on your own accord," he continued, "and in doing so you managed to obtain stronger armaments and friends to assist you on the way. Not only that, you even managed to defeat a tyrant in the process. You achieved more than I ever expected you to, and for that I applaud you, soldier."

His justification was barely sufficient for Quote, who wondered how much time could have been saved had Cthulhu simply explained everything to him from the beginning. Before the soldier could say another word, however, he vanished into thin air. Misery let out a sigh of exasperation.

"He's always been cryptic… I suppose I will take my leave as well. Goodbye, everyone. Balrog, I assume you'll be able to find me if necessary. You have the nose of a bloodhound, after all."

With another small grin, she teleported away. Curly turned to face the rest of the group, smiling widely as the Colons darted to her side. The four Mimiga children pulled her and Quote into a group hug, even dancing around the soldiers.

"I'm so glad to see you all again. Hey, what do you think of living up here on the surface?"

They responded with a unanimous cheer, but fell silent as Curly spoke up again.

"We may have more people with us this time. Malco, what are you planning on doing now?"

 **"** **I need to repair myself,"** the former admitted as he walked over to them on his rickety legs. **"But all of the necessary parts and tools are in the Bushlands outpost where I was stationed. Once that is finished, I wish to remain with you if it's no trouble."**

"Not at all! What about you, Quote?"

He didn't say anything, but he felt like he didn't need to. Instead, he gave her hand a tighter squeeze and smirked at the light blush crossing her face. The Colons stared up at him curiously.

"…good answer," Curly said after a moment of silence. "We're gonna need to build a house big enough for all of us, but I'm sure that won't be a problem."

"Hey, um…" Balrog cut in with a hesitant edge to his voice. "Now that I'm free from the curse… can I come too? I don't really have a place to go."

"Sure!" she chirped. "We'll need an even bigger house, but we can definitely live together. It'll be like a big family! Tell you what, Balrog, you can even pick the spot. Just make sure it's somewhere with a great view for us."

"Really?" he asked. "Wow, okay! I'll get started right now!"

With that he lumbered off into the distance to find a good spot. The Colons ran after him as fast as their hind legs could carry them, shouting for Curly to catch up soon. Malco laughed brightly while he watched them take off.

 **"** **They're very excited, aren't they? As much as I'd like to help find a good place to live, I really should get myself repaired first."**

"Go ahead," Quote said to him. "You can come find us when you're better. How will you get back to the Bushlands?"

Professor Booster spoke up next.

"Kazuma and I got out of the Plantation with a secret teleporter system. We can get him back there, no problem."

"We're not leaving the island quite yet," Momorin added. "We plan on making sure the rest of the Demon Flowers are gone and finalizing our research before heading back to the surface. If possible, we're also going to set up a way to teleport here and back whenever necessary."

Sue nodded eagerly.

"Yeah, that way we'll be able to visit you guys!"

"Sounds great to me," Curly said. "Heh, we might need to make some guest rooms in our new house as well."

 **"** **Nothing we can't handle, I'm sure! Well, I should be going now. I'll rejoin you the moment my repairs are complete."**

Just before they could depart, Quote called out to Sue. He offered her King's sword, the sight of which made her eyes widen then slightly mist over.

"Get this back to Mimiga Village. It shouldn't stay with us anymore."

"R… right, I'll do that. Jack will know what to do with it."

Waving his one remaining arm, Malco trotted off with Professor Booster, Itoh, and the three Sakamotos. The two ex-soldiers were subsequently left alone.

"Guess we should make sure Balrog and the Colons don't get into any trouble," Curly said after a moment.

"I still can't walk on my leg," Quote replied in dismay.

Rolling her eyes but chuckling nonetheless, his partner lifted him onto her back to carry him along. Nemesis and Spur clunked awkwardly, attached to their waists, but they didn't mind the discomfort. The pair could finally enjoy a casual moment together, idly chatting as they walked across the grassy surface of the island toward their new home and a bright future.

* * *

 _Two days later…_

The Bushlands outpost had more than enough replacement parts for Malco to repair himself with, and he felt like a brand new robot- which, given how much of him _needed_ replacing, he supposed he was. Fully repaired and stocked up on additional supplies, he was ready to head back to his friends. He'd even taken a bit of time to create the blueprints for their new home, just so he could have contributed something in his absence. Humming to himself, he grabbed the stack of boxes he would bring and strode toward the same teleporter Kazuma and Professor Booster had used to escape the Doctor. It had already been calibrated to bring him to the Sakamoto's new base camp on the surface.

He paused upon approaching the structure housing it and looked back. The outpost was still save for the resident frogs milling about. It would likely remain that way forever, steadily removing all traces of the war from ten years ago. His photoreceptors landed on the power room he'd been dormant in, and he found he wasn't ready to leave just yet. The door was still burst open after Balrog's transformation, allowing him easy access.

Had it always been so cramped? He hardly remembered his time there, with all that he'd been through. Spare weapon and ammo crates were scattered around the room, which reminded him that he was unarmed again. Malco grabbed another missile launcher and Fireball handgun; their battle may have been over but he decided one could never be too safe.

His focus returned to the main reason he'd come back. Four robots, identical to him, were still offline against a wall. They had accumulated a significant amount of dust in his absence, and one was knocked onto its side. All of them stared ahead lifelessly, their photoreceptors dull. Malco nudged them back into place and did his best to dust them off, then walked over to the control panel at the back of the room.

 **-Access granted.**

 **-User: RT9_Malco-Class_2**

 **-Password: XXXXXXX**

 **-NOTICE: Signal has been lost from designated leader of Retrieval Team 9.**

 **-Leader is assumed terminated, position will shift to next available unit.**

 **-Next available unit: RT9_Malco-Class_2.**

 **-RT9_Malco-Class_2 has been designated leader of Retrieval Team 9.**

He'd expected as much. With his former comrades all either destroyed or offline, and their human leaders having long since abandoned them, by default he was given command of the entire team. After a brief pause, he began to type again, putting his newfound authority to the only use he wanted to.

 **-NOTICE: Retrieval Team 9's mission is unsuccessful.**

 **-General Miakido has been terminated.**

 **-Demon Crown has been destroyed.**

 **-Any remaining units are to cease hostilities toward the floating island's inhabitants effective immediately.**

 **-No further objectives.**

 **-Retrieval Team 9 is disbanded. Removing [RT9] tag from remaining units.**

And with that, the war was officially over. He turned to look at his four identical brethren, still offline. Malco tapped a final command into the keyboard, beginning their long reboot process. The station's old power system had barely managed to reactivate him so quickly; it would take them far longer to wake up.

 **"** **This is Unit 2… no, my name is Malco,"** he said, knowing full well they couldn't really hear him. **"I'm sorry to leave you here while your reboot commences. It could take months, or even years, for you to reactivate. The system is out of date, so I can't do anything to speed the process along. I promise, one day I'll come back for you all. I'll introduce you to my friends; you might like them."**

Double-checking to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything, he stepped out and made his way back to the teleporter. He'd been away long enough, and Quote and Curly needed help with the house.

* * *

The sun was beginning to set, sending a deep orange light over the floating island and the small camp set up on the northern point of it. A pair of dark green tents, generously provided by Momorin's crew, were pitched side-by-side in the open field not far from the early foundations of a house. Given the short time and the fact that none of the people building it were particularly skilled in construction, progress was rather slow. Of course, that didn't bother the group at all as they tirelessly worked, laughing together and sharing stories the whole time. If there was one benefit to their house not being finished, it was getting to stay in the fresh, clear air after spending so long underground.

The ex-soldiers shared one of the tents, while the four Colons slept in the other. Balrog, who as it turned out was physically incapable of sleeping (and was too big for a tent anyway), remained outside at night. He assured his new friends that it was no problem for him; he preferred being out in the open. Due to his lack of fingers he was by far the least helpful in actually building the house, but it didn't stop him from trying. He would fly off into the distance and return with entire uprooted trees to use in the construction. They still couldn't do much without tools, but Malco had promised to bring additional supplies back from the Bushlands outpost upon hearing of this problem.

Quote sat near the edge of the island, watching the sunset and listening to the others chatter in the camp. His broken leg was far from completing its self-repair process, so in the meantime he kept it splinted. As ecstatic as he was that their battles were finally over, he had to admit a life of peace would take some getting used to. Perhaps it was his programming as a soldier robot, but a small part of him missed the adrenaline of a gunfight.

"Hey," a voice said to his left. Curly sat herself down beside him, looking out over the horizon as well. "You've been here alone for a while. Everything okay?"

"I'm fine. Just taking in everything that's happened to us."

"We've been through a lot, haven't we?" she noted with a smile. "It was a hard fight, but I wouldn't trade this for the world."

Quote grinned and pulled her closer to him.

"Neither would I…"

He noticed she was blushing again, looking meaningfully into his eyes. Curly's face lit up in the sun's glow, and he found he'd never seen a more radiant image. With a nervous grin, she leaned forward and placed her lips against his just like she'd done before their final battle. Quote held her close, having deduced that it was a gesture of affection, and returned it as best as he could. The two were perfectly still for a few seconds, enjoying the bond stronger than iron that they shared. Even after they pulled apart, Curly kept him in a tender embrace.

"Love you, soldier boy…" she mumbled into his shoulder.

He was still coming to grips with his own feelings, but Quote knew that he shared her affection equally. His mouth opened to respond, only to be cut off by a familiar voice.

 **"** **Greetings, friends! I've returned!"**

Malco was trotting toward them, looking good as new. His angular body was in pristine, shiny condition, as if he'd never been damaged to begin with. The ex-soldiers separated from one another with light blushes, but their friend seemed oblivious as to why.

"How long have you been there?" Curly asked with a bashful grin.

 **"** **Apparently not long enough. I just got here, have I missed something?"**

Quote smirked.

"Not at all. You're looking good."

 **"** **Why, thank you! There were plenty of spare parts in the Bushlands outpost for me, so repairs went well. I also brought supplies to help with the house."**

In his claws were several boxes of drills, saws, hammers, and other items.

"You're the best," Curly said. "Let's get back to the camp; the others are probably wondering what's keeping us. You can share our tent until the rooms are done."

 **"** **Hmm, perhaps not,"** he replied in a suspiciously satisfied tone. **"I believe you two deserve a more private lodging after your long battle."**

Quote felt his blush return, and he noticed Curly also reddening. Malco warbled with laughter.

 **"** **I haven't properly acquainted myself with the Colons yet. I'll stay with them for now."**

"Okay, okay," Curly chuckled. "You get to take care of them, Quote's not that great at it. I'd say he needs some parenting lessons."

He was about to protest, but she just laughed and began making her way to the camp. Quote followed as fast as his broken leg would allow, and Malco fell in step beside them. The three robots walked back together as the sun disappeared over the horizon, reunited at last and prepared for whatever the next day would bring them.

* * *

 _ **The End**_

* * *

 **Author's Note:** With that, my second novelization is complete. Thank you so much for reading; I hope I've managed to convey the story well enough while keeping things fresh with my own additions.

What's next? I'll continue my _Earthbound_ story, and maybe at some point write another one-shot in this universe. Quote's aforementioned parenting lessons could be amusing, who knows?

Speaking of more _Cave_ _Story_ , er, stories, I'll definitely be coming back here in a BIG way! How big? I'll reveal more about that in the future, trust me.

For the time being, here's one last thank you for each and every reader, follower, and reviewer. Take care, and I'll see you next time!

-MetroidMan101


End file.
